Daily TribuneFormer first lady Michelle Obama breaks tradition, opting out of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, while other former presidents and their spouses will attend.
US First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on 26 October 2024 for US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, breaking with the tradition of former presidents and their spouses attending such ceremonies. In a statement released by the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama, it was confirmed that former President Barack Obama would attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies, but Michelle Obama would not.
No official explanation has been provided for her decision, though her absence comes just weeks after she skipped former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, where her husband and Trump were seen sitting together and engaging in an unexpectedly friendly conversation.
Michelle Obama’s absence marks the second time she has opted out of high-profile gatherings of former U.S. leaders and their spouses. Her decision to forgo Trump’s inauguration is significant, as all three former presidents—Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton—will attend alongside their wives.
The former first lady has spoken openly about her disapproval of Trump, citing his rhetoric and actions as threats to her family’s safety. In her 2018 memoir, she criticized Trump’s promotion of the “birther” conspiracy, which questioned Barack Obama’s citizenship, and denounced his policies as president.
Michelle Obama has previously shared her emotions surrounding Trump’s first inauguration in 2017. In her podcast, The Light Postcast, she described the experience as deeply upsetting, noting the lack of diversity and representation on the stage.
“To sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display—there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage,” she said. “I cried for half an hour after the ceremony because that’s how much we were holding it together for eight years.”
While Michelle Obama will be absent, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton will join their husbands for the ceremony, along with former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Trump’s inauguration marks a rare convergence of former leaders despite ongoing political divides.
Trump himself remarked on his unexpectedly friendly exchange with Barack Obama at Carter’s funeral, saying, “We probably do [like each other]. We just got along very well, which is good.”
(Sources: Kevin Liptak, KSLTV; Jamie Gangel, CNN; Gustaf Kilander, Yahoo News; US News)
