Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday after missing President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week.
Her spokesperson declined to provide a reason for the snub.
‘Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,’ the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama told the Associated Press.
She missed Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday due to a ‘scheduling conflict’ as she enjoyed an extended holiday break in Hawaii, where President Barack Obama was born.
She celebrates her 61st birthday on Friday.
The former first lady has been less publicly engaged since the death of her mother, Marian Robinson, in May.
When she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August, she remarked that her grief almost kept her from coming onstage.
‘I still feel her loss so profoundly – I wan’t even sure I’d be steady enough to stand before you tonight,’ she told the massive crowd at Chicago’s United Center.
Still she headlined several campaign events for Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, ahead of Election Day.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping President-elect Donald Trump ‘s inauguration on Monday after missing President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week. The former first lady has been less publicly engaged since the death of her mother, Marian Robinson, in May
After speaking at the Democratic National Convention (above) she headlined several events for Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to President-elect Donald Trump in the November election. Michelle has been on an extended holiday in Hawaii
Generally former president and first ladies have attended inauguration – even for the president of the opposite party – unless they were suffering from health issues.
But Trump blew up that modern precedent four years ago, by refusing to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his successor, President Joe Biden.
First lady Melania Trump also skipped Biden’s inauguration.
Barack Obama is still planning to attend Monday’s swearing-in.
Obama and Trump lit up the internet on Thursday when they appeared extremely chatty at Carter’s memorial service.
It comes after Trump pushed the ‘birther’ conspiracy theory about Obama – that the country’s first black president was born in Kenya not Hawaii.
Obama in turn humiliated Trump onstage at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011, considered one of the motivations for Trump to run for the White House in 2016.
Ahead of the program, Obama appeared to be laughing at something Trump said.
Former President Barack Obama (left) appears to be laughing at something President-elect Donald Trump (right) told him during the funeral for President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday
Other dignitaries did not react to the Trumps’ arrival that way.
Former second lady Karen Pence refused to acknowledge the Trumps.
She stayed seated, looking straight ahead, as they walked by.
Former Vice President Mike Pence stood and shook Trump’s hand after former Vice President Al Gore did the same.
The Trumps and Pences had a falling out in the aftermath of January 6 when the MAGA crowd erected gallows and chanted ‘hang Mike Pence.’
Former President George W. Bush initially walked by the Trumps to greet Obama instead as he arrived at the Washington National Cathedral.
He gave Obama a friendly tap on the belly.
Bush later shook hands with the incoming president.
While Bush didn’t go as far as his former Vice President Dick Cheney, who alongside daughter Liz, endorsed Harris, he publicly warned the country about the threats of domestic terrorism on the September 11 anniversary following January 6.
Trump, in turn, said that Bush had ‘a failed and uninspiring presidency’ and shouldn’t be ‘lecturing’ the public about domestic terrorism.
Prior to that, Trump humiliated Bush’s brother Jeb on the 2016 campaign trail, mocking the former Florida governor for being ‘low energy’ – a dig that stuck.
