Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, her office said Tuesday.
“It has been confirmed that former President Barack Obama will attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremony. “Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” the statement said.
No reason was given for his absence.
Michelle Obama also did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week. Barack Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, and Bill and Hillary Clinton attended, as did President Joe Biden and Jill Biden and President-elect Trump and Melania Trump.
The Bushes plan to attend the inauguration, the former president’s office said.
Michelle Obama has attended every inauguration since her husband’s in 2009, including Trump’s inauguration when he succeeded Obama in 2017. It was not an experience she enjoyed, she acknowledged on her “The Light Podcast” in 2023.
“[T]There was no diversity here, there was no color on that stage. There was no reflection of the broader sense of America. A lot of people took photos of me and said, “You weren’t in a good mood.” “No, I wasn’t,” he said.
Kelly O’Donnell contributed.
