Michelle Obama to skip Donald Trump’s inauguration
The former first lady’s office did not offer an explanation for her absence after she also missed Jimmy Carter’s funeral yesterday.
Michelle Obama will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday after skipping the funeral for the former president Jimmy Carter last week.
Her office did not offer an explanation for the absence as it was confirmed that her husband, the former president Barack Obama, would attend the ceremony in Washington. Bill and Hillary Clinton are expected to watch Trump’s swearing-in, as are George W Bush and his wife, Laura.
A statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama simply said: “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th inaugural ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”
Trump, who refused to accept that he was beaten by Joe Biden in the 2020 election, refused to attend his rival’s ceremony, flying to his Florida home on the morning of the last inauguration four years ago.
Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, are expected to stay in Washington and watch Trump, 78, take the oath of office for a second time. Other big names slated to attend include the tech tycoons Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Ms Obama was the only living former first lady absent at last week’s funeral service for Carter at Washington National Cathedral.
Her husband was seated next to Trump and was seen having a long conversation with the president-elect before the ceremony. In the past, there has been much animosity between the two men, but they appeared to be in good humour last week.
Ms Obama campaigned against Trump during his 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In her 2018 memoir, she described her shock upon learning that Trump would succeed her husband. She denounced Trump’s “birther” campaign, through which he had questioned Mr Obama being born in the US.
In August she spoke at the Democratic national convention in Chicago, passionately advocating for Kamala Harris, Biden’s vice-president, to beat Trump to the White House. The former first lady also campaigned on Harris’s behalf in Michigan, a state won by Trump, where she challenged men to vote for the vice-president, arguing that women’s lives would be at risk if Trump returned to office.
Harris lost the election in November by a wide margin.
Each of the three living former presidents and their wives attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, including Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Carter also attended.
The Times