Dick Cheney’s funeral was supposed to be a time for quiet reflection — but George W. Bush’s pants were too tiny to ignore.
The former president attended the funeral service for his longtime vice president in Washington on Thursday, but it wasn’t his tribute or presence that stole the show.
The former president attended the funeral service for his longtime vice president, Dick Cheney, in Washington on Thursday, but it wasn’t his tribute or presence that stole the show. It was Bush’s outfit — or rather, a section of his suit that had viewers zooming in to notice an entire patch of fabric was missing.
Cheney passed away on Nov. 3 at age 84, and the homegoing on Nov. 20 drew high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Four former vice presidents came to pay their respects.
According to RadarOnline, President Joe Biden was there too, and although a few viewers claimed he “looked confused,” it was Bush who stole the spotlight — for all the wrong reasons.
His tailored navy blue suit — and the wild amount of sock and leg it insisted on showing. It caused the biggest commotion online after many pointed out that Bush’s poor ankles were clearly out there fighting for their lives.
📸 What a moment at the Cheney funeral. A light hearted exchange between old political rivals George W. Bush and Al Gore had President @JoeBiden and @DrBiden laughing along.
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) November 20, 2025
It felt like a glimpse of the country we used to be, and the country we could still be without the… pic.twitter.com/1DDibdzR6X
Sitting at the end of the pew, he unintentionally gave everyone a clear shot of his too-short trousers, and social media immediately seized on the moment.
One person tweeted, “Why George Bush’s pant legs raising that high, you were the president of the United States! How the pants so high! Why can I see your socks and your legs, I can’t be the only one who saw that. How is that even possible???”
Why George Bush's pant legs raising that high, you were the president of the United States! How the pants so high! Why can I see your socks and your legs, I can't be the only one who saw that. How is that even possible???
— Furio Junta (@FurioJunta) November 20, 2025
When Threads posted a picture from the homegoing and people went off with jokes.
“W’s pants are sending me,” one person said.
Someone else added, “Capris at a funeral is a bold choice but okay.”
Some joked Bush had been hit with a tailoring mishap, while others may have wondered if he’d grown overnight. Either way, Bush’s hemline became the uninvited headline of the day.
“Why the hell did his tailor do this?” a third person wrote.
View on Threads
Beyond the fashion drama, the former president was there to honor a pivotal and extremely controversial figure from his administration.
Still, Bush’s presence at funerals has a habit of sparking viral moments.
His unlikely friendship with former first lady Michelle Obama continues to charm the internet years after their first major public moment at Senator John McCain’s 2018 funeral.
Bush was caught handing her a cough drop, which she later described as him having “the presence of mind and the sense of humor to bring me a mint.”
George W. Bush Giving Michelle Obama Candy at a Funeral — There’s Always That One Friend 🍬 pic.twitter.com/zj1H3I1y4O
— Big G (@griffinartworld) November 14, 2025
The gesture resurfaced again at the funeral for his father, George H.W. Bush, and even at President Jimmy Carter’s memorial, where he greeted Barack Obama with a playful belly bump.
According to his daughter Jenna Bush Hager, Bush takes that friendship seriously. When she once asked him about online rumors involving the Obamas’ marriage, he snapped, “I know them and it isn’t true.”
❤️💛💚💙
— yourfriendSOMMI ❤️💛💚💙 (@yourfriendSOMMI) January 11, 2025
George W Bush makes me laugh.
Classic “regular guy” belly tap on Obama pic.twitter.com/xFgPhZv1i4
But not everyone views Bush’s viral warmth as harmless.
Critics consistently point back to his presidential legacy, especially the government’s delayed response to Hurricane Katrina, much of which was shaped by Cheney’s influence.
Still, in a room full of dark suits and solemn faces, it was Bush’s blue high-water trousers that took over the conversation. Whether the tailoring mishap was accidental or simply a bad fashion day, his ankle-baring moment once again put him at the center of a national discussion.
And just like that, George W. Bush became the unexpected star of a funeral — not for a speech, not for a gesture, but because the internet could not let those pants go.
