Former First Lady Michelle Obama has announced that she will not attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, according to a statement released on the 14th local time. According to reports from CNN and others, the office of former President Barack Obama stated that while Barack Obama will attend Trump’s inauguration on the 20th, Michelle Obama will not.
It is a long-standing tradition in American politics for former presidents and their spouses to attend the inaugural ceremonies of new presidents. However, Michelle Obama has announced her absence without offering any explanation. Michelle Obama also did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service held last week at the Washington National Cathedral, choosing instead to stay in Hawaii.
In contrast, former President George W. Bush and his wife, as well as former President Bill Clinton and his wife, are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration. At Trump’s 2017 inauguration, even Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, attended along with all other former and current presidents and first ladies.
Before the 2017 inauguration, Michelle Obama hosted the Trumps at the White House for a traditional transition ceremony but has since expressed strong opposition to Trump. In 2023, during her podcast, Michelle Obama criticized Trump’s first inauguration, stating, “We had to watch something that represented the opposite of what we stood for” and commented, “There was no diversity, no color, and nothing that reflects the broader meaning of America.”
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