The four living former presidents of the United States, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, all attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday, but none of them had any public well-wishes for the incoming president. Each of their offices declined to put out a statement on the occasion.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Biden only addressed his supporters and staffers before boarding a government helicopter to depart Washington, D.C. “We’re leaving office, we’re not leaving the fight,” he told them.
The Clinton and Bush couples, along with the Obama and Biden couples, all attended the ceremony, with Michelle Obama being the only one who chose not to attend. A source close to Michelle Obama revealed that she could not contain her disdain for Trump and therefore decided not to attend his inauguration.
Trump took shots at Biden in his address, without addressing him by name, and also criticized his last-minute actions as president. In a follow-up speech to supporters, Trump called out Biden’s pardons of the January 6th House Select Committee members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, which he called “horrible betrayals.”
