By The American Tribune | Created at 2025-01-17 14:22:29 | Updated at 2025-01-20 16:52:18
4 days ago
Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. The news comes just days after she was absent from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, where every other living former president and first lady was in attendance. However, former President Barack Obama will be at the inauguration alongside former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with their respective wives.
It isn’t clear why Michelle Obama won’t be able to attend the inauguration. However, she reportedly missed Carter’s funeral due to scheduling issues with an “extended vacation” in Hawaii. “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” a statement from the Office of Barrack and Michelle Obama read.
However, some on social media have interpreted Michelle’s absence as a snub toward Trump. “Michelle Obama has announced that she will be skipping Donald Trump’s inauguration after skipping Jimmy Carter’s funeral to allegedly avoid Trump. Her spokesperson declined to provide a reason for the snub,” commentator Dom Lucre posted to X.
Some believe the Obamas are in fear of what is to come under the second Trump administration. Another user pondered, “There is probably a very interesting reason. Maybe she’s aware that once Trump is back in office it will only be a matter of time before a lot of her & Pres. Obama’s secrets are exposed. It might also be because Obama wasn’t to use her as his avatar to run in 2028. She is who he originally in 2024.”
The popular MAGA account C-Reason suggested, “Michelle Obama missing the inauguration, just like she skipped out on Carter’s funeral. They say it’s due to scheduling conflicts. A vacation is not a scheduling conflict. Kamala Harris refused to let JD Vance into the VP Residence before Inauguration Day. But her and Doug are buying a condo in Manhattan. I thought she wanted to run for governor of California? J6 Committee members negotiating with Biden about preemptive pardons. This SCREAMS “We’re guilty” to me.😏”
The American Tribune previously reported on Obama’s absence form Carter’s funeral, who died at the age of 100 in December. Michelle Obama’s spokesperson, Crystal Carson, explained, “Former First Lady Michelle Obama is not in attendance at President Carter’s National Funeral Service. Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President.”
Journalist Jeff Zeleney added on a CNN broadcast, “I’m told by her advisors that she has scheduling conflicts … She’s still in Hawaii,” before explaining it was for an “extended vacation.” Footage from the funeral shows former President Barrack Obama, without his wife, sitting beside Donald Trump, where the two could be seen joking about something.
Watch Trump and Obama laugh about something at the funeral below:
Addressing Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, Michelle Obama posted to Instagram, “I know it’s been a difficult few months for so many of us — and folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain. But this holiday season, there are plenty of reasons to stay hopeful. So as 2024 comes to a close, I wanted to share some reflections on the work the @ObamaFoundation is doing to lift up the young changemakers around the world. Take a look.”
Featured image credit: Tim Pierce from Berlin, MA, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michelle_Obama_(29869565383).jpg
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