Former First Lady Michelle Obama Will Skip Trump’s Inauguration
Former first lady Michelle Obama has announced that she will not attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, a decision that follows her absence from the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter last week.
In a statement shared with The Associated Press, the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama confirmed that Mrs. Obama would not be attending the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol on January 20. No reason was given for her decision.
Despite Mrs. Obama’s absence, former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton are set to attend the inauguration, along with their wives, including Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton. Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama had sat next to each other and chatted during Carter’s funeral, a rare moment of civility between the two men who had been political opponents during the 2016 election.
Mrs. Obama had previously campaigned against Trump in his 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential campaigns, and had also delivered a speech in Michigan last fall on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, during which she urged men to vote for her and argued that women’s lives would be at risk if Trump returned to the White House.
