Michelle Obama will not join her husband Barack at Donald Trump’s second inauguration next week.
The announcement comes days after the former First Lady made headlines for missing Jimmy Carter’s state funeral.
CNN reported at the time that the former first lady was “still in Hawaii on an extended holiday vacation” during the funeral, saying her advisers credited the absence to a scheduling conflict.
Both Barack and Michelle attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, alongside key Democrats such as outgoing Vice President and future President Joe Biden and Trump’s competitor in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton.
The Obamas and the Trumps at Donald Trump’s first inauguration in 2017
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President-elect Donald Trump speaks with former President Barack Obama Getty
Barack and Michelle ObamaWikimedia CommonsA statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama that was shared with reporters said: “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”
Bill Clinton will attend the swearing-in ceremony, a person familiar with the former president’s schedule confirmed to reporters. Hillary Clinton will also attend, a spokesperson said.
Donald Trump did not attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, the first time a previous president had declined to attend an inauguration for over 100 years.
The last time a sitting president had refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the incoming president was in 1869 when Andrew Johnson declined to attend the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant.
Former President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump speak ahead of the state funeral services for former President Jimmy CarterGettyMichelle Obama was the only spouse absent from the service last week at Washington National Cathedral, where her husband and Trump were seated next to each other and appeared to share a joke with each other.
All three former presidents and their wives attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, including Hillary Clinton, after she lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Jimmy Carter and George W Bush also attended.
In 2023, Michelle Obama spoke about what it was like to be in the audience as Trump was sworn in.
She told CBS News: “To sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display, there was no diversity, there was no colour on that stage there was no reflection of the broader sense of America. Many people took pictures of me and they’re like, you weren’t in a good mood. No, I was not.”
The Trumps and the Obamas in 2017GettyMichelle said on her podcast, “The Light Podcast,” that she cried for 30 minutes after the ceremony.
She added that her reaction was due to “how much we were holding it together for eight years without really being able to show it all.”
In a rally for Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Donald Trump, Michelle accused the Trump of “gross incompetence” and having an “amoral character.”
She said: “I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn.”
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