Why Michelle Obama is Skipping the Inauguration
Longtime allies of the former first lady claim her absence from Trump’s swearing-in sends a powerful message.
Reuters
Michelle Obama’s decided to ditch Donald Trump’s inauguration to avoid fake celebrating for the sake of “protocol.”
“There’s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” a source close to the former first lady told People. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”
On Tuesday, the former first lady’s office announced she would not attend the Jan. 20 ceremony. Barack, however, will be present at the event. Both Obama’s attended Trump’s 2017 swearing-in.
Her absence comes after she ducked out on Jimmy Carter’s funeral, citing scheduling conflicts.
A person familiar with the former first lady’s schedule told Politico that, during the memorial, she was in Hawaii. Michelle would have been seated next to Trump at Carter’s funeral, a seat ultimately occupied by her husband who was seen laughing with the president-elect before the service began.
Michelle Obama appeared alongside Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly on the campaign trail, railing against Trump.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Longtime allies of the former first lady claim that her choice to skip the inauguration is a powerful message and testament to her conviction in her opinion of Trump.
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The president-elect’s rhetoric surrounding women and people of color, and history of disparaging Michelle and Barack Obama, sources allege, have greatly contributed to her known distaste for Trump.
Throughout Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid, the former first lady emerged as one of president-elect’s most vocal opponents as she stumped for the vice president.
In October, the former first lady urged voters to vote for Harris if they cared about the future and safety of American women.
“She meant every word she said on the campaign trail with every fiber of her being,” one Obama ally told the Hill. “And she’s no hypocrite.”
Aside from her dislike of Trump, Michelle’s alleged “doesn’t feel the need to be a public figure anymore.”
“She served in the public eye and did all the public good that she could for eight years as first lady,” one source said to People. “You’ll see her when she has a project or cause to promote...”
The death of the former first lady’s mother in 2024, has also taken a significant toll on the Obamas in recent months, the source added, as Michelle has prioritized spending time with her family.
“It’s been an emotional time for her,” they continued.
In 2021, Donald Trump and Melania Trump skipped President Joe Biden's inauguration, breaking more than a century of precedent.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
While Michelle will be the only living former first lady not in attendance at Trump’s inauguration, Trump and his wife Melania both ditched President Joe Biden’s ceremony in 2021, the first time since 1869 that a president refused to attend their successor’s swearing-in.
Despite the president-elect’s conduct four years prior, Biden has pushed for a return to normalcy, and will pass the presidential baton on to Trump next week.
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