Former First Lady Michelle Obama won’t be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, her office confirmed. They didn’t give a specific reason for her decision.
A statement from the office of Barack and Michelle Obama said, “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”
This marks a departure from tradition, as it’s common for former presidents and their spouses to attend the swearing-in ceremonies. Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush will be there, and sources told CNN that Bill and Hillary Clinton are expected to attend as well.
Michelle Obama was also notably absent from a memorial service last week for former President Jimmy Carter, choosing to stay in Hawaii. Barack Obama attended, sitting next to Trump and engaging in conversation as the service began.
Other former first ladies, including Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, were at the Carter service.
Michelle has been vocal about her strong feelings toward Trump, even accusing him of putting her family’s safety at risk with his rhetoric. While she initially reached out in 2017 after Trump’s election, hosting him and Melania Trump for tea at the White House, she later reflected on her feelings about the 2017 inauguration.
In a 2023 podcast, she shared, “There were tears, there was that emotion. But then to sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display – there was no diversity, no color, no reflection of the broader sense of America.”
As a reminder, the Trumps skipped Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, partly due to Trump’s refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 election.
