Thousands of spectators are expected to flock to the US Capitol Building for Donald Trump’s inauguration, yet the absence of one notable guest is hard to overlook.
Former first lady Michelle Obama won’t attend the ceremony, her office has said without providing a reason for the decision, but her husband, former president Barack Obama, will be present.
It would be the second public event Michelle has skipped in recent weeks, after choosing not to attend the memorial service for former president Jimmy Carter in January, which sparked a series of unfounded claims about the reasons behind her decision.
Skipping the 20 January ceremony would be the first time Michelle has chosen not to attend a presidential inauguration since her husband’s 2009 swearing-in.
While her decision breaks with tradition, it’s not the first time a first lady, or a first couple, opted to miss the event.
Donald and Melania Trump didn’t attend the inauguration of Joe Biden in 2021, as Trump falsely claimed he won the election.
And while Michelle’s office didn’t elaborate on her decision not to attend, a source familiar with her thinking told PEOPLE magazine, “There’s no overstating her feelings” about the president-elect.
“She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” the source said. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”
Michelle Obama speaks to a local book group in Tacoma, Washington in 2019 (Photo: Jim Bennett/Getty Images)Open about her views
Over the years, Michelle has been open about how she views Trump and has accused him of putting her family in danger with his polarising rhetoric.
Michelle has said it was difficult to attend Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, as he represented “the opposite” of what she and her husband stood for.
“There were tears, there was that emotion. But then 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, there was no reflection of the broader sense of America,” she said in 2023.
Current and former presidents and vice-presidents attend the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington DC (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)Absence from Carter funeral
What actually raised eyebrows in recent weeks wasn’t her decision to miss the presidential inauguration, but her absence from the funeral of former US president Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington on 9 January.
Michelle was expected to sit next to Trump during the ceremony, which was attended by Melania and former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush. Commentators have suggested Michelle could have subtly swapped seats with her husband to convey her disdain rather than skipping the event altogether.
Thus, the former first lady’s absence from the funeral sparked a wave of speculations, including hints at unconfirmed troubles in her relationship with her husband. Her office has said she couldn’t attend the event due to a scheduling conflict and will stay in Hawaii, where the family was vacationing.
The seating arrangement at the funeral led to even more controversy for the Obamas, as Barack Obama’s cheerful chat with Trump, seated next to him, drew criticism and contrasted with his wife’s stance.
Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama in 2022 (Photo: Jim Young/AFP/Getty Images)The source familiar with the first lady’s thinking told PEOPLE magazine that the death of Michelle’s mother, Marian Robinson, played a significant role in her decision not to attend the funeral. “It’s been an emotional time for her,” the source said. “The holidays were always a time for family in Hawaii.”
Speaking about the workbook she wrote inspired by her mother, Michelle has said the self-help guide reflects “the common sense wisdom she left me with, like, ‘Your voice matters, I see you, you got power.’”
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