(LOOTPRESS) – Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend President Donald Trump’s second inauguration next week, her office confirmed Tuesday, though no reason was provided for her decision.
“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” read a statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama.
The decision marks a notable break from tradition, as former presidents and first ladies typically participate in inaugurations as a show of bipartisan unity. Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush are expected to attend the ceremony, as are former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, according to sources familiar with the event.
Michelle Obama’s absence also follows her decision to skip last week’s memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter, held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Instead, she remained in Hawaii while former President Barack Obama attended, seated near Donald Trump during the event. Other former first ladies, including Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, were present at the memorial.
Mrs. Obama has previously voiced strong criticism of Donald Trump, accusing him of endangering her family’s safety through his rhetoric. In 2017, despite her personal feelings, she welcomed Trump and then-incoming First Lady Melania Trump to the White House ahead of his first inauguration. However, she later described the experience of attending the ceremony as deeply emotional and troubling.
“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 during a 2023 podcast interview.
Trump’s absence at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration, following his refusal to concede the 2020 election, also broke with long-standing norms of presidential transitions.
President Trump’s second inauguration is scheduled for January 20, 2025, amid continued polarization within the country.