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Former first lady Michelle Obama is declining to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
On Tuesday (January 14), the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama confirmed that the former president would attend Trump's inauguration on Monday (January 20), while the former first lady would skip the event, per CNN.
“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 reads.
The Obamas' team declined to offer an explanation for the former first lady's decision to not attend the event. Michelle Obama also didn't attend a memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington. Former President Barack Obama was present at the event and sat next to Trump, who he appeared to have a friendly conversation with.
All five living presidents and other former first ladies, including Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, attended Carter's funeral services. Former President George W. Bush and his wife have also confirmed they will attend Trump's inauguration along with the Clintons.
Michelle Obama has previously spoken out against Trump and accused the President-elect of putting her family's safety in danger with his rhetoric. Despite her critiques, the former first lady welcomed Trump and Melania Trump to the White House for tea ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for his first term in 2017.
Obama later spoke out about attending Trump's inauguration that year.
“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 on a podcast in 2023.
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