Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday after missing President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week.
Her spokesperson declined to give a reason for the criticism.
“It has been confirmed that former President Barack Obama will attend the 60th Opening Ceremony. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” Barack and Michelle Obama’s office told the Associated Press.
She missed Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday due to a “scheduling conflict” while enjoying an extended vacation in Hawaii, where President Barack Obama was born.
She celebrates her 61st birthday on Friday.
The former first lady has been less publicly involved since the death of her mother, Marian Robinson, in May.
When she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August, she noted that her grief almost kept her from taking the stage.
“I still feel her loss so deeply — I’m not even sure I would be strong enough to stand before you tonight,” she told the huge crowd at Chicago’s United Center.
Still, she headlined several campaign events for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris prior to Election Day.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip 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 involved 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 vacation in Hawaii
In general, former presidents and first ladies have attended the inauguration — even the president of the other party — unless they were suffering from health problems.
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 still plans to attend the swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
Obama and Trump set the internet on edge Thursday when they appeared extremely chatty during Carter’s memorial service.
It comes after Trump advanced the “birther” conspiracy theory about Obama – that the country’s first black president was born in Kenya and not Hawaii.
Obama in turn humiliated Trump on stage at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011, which is considered one of the motivations for Trump to run for the White House in 2016.
Before the program, Obama appeared to laugh at something Trump said.
Other dignitaries did not react that way to the Trumps’ arrival.
Former second lady Karen Pence refused to recognize the Trumps.
She remained seated and looked 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 fell out in the aftermath of Jan. 6, when the MAGA mob erected a gallows and chanted “hang Mike Pence.”
Former President George W. Bush initially walked past the Trumps to greet Obama as he arrived at the Washington National Cathedral.
He gave Obama a friendly pat on the stomach.
Bush later shook hands with the new president.
Although Bush did not go as far as his former Vice President Dick Cheney, who along with daughter Liz supported Harris, he publicly warned the country about the threat of domestic terrorism on the September 11 anniversary after January 6.
Trump, in turn, said Bush had “a failed and uninspiring presidency” and that he should not “lecture” the public about domestic terrorism.
Before 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.