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Donald Trump‘s inauguration is less than a week away and there’s one person who declined the invitation: former First Lady Michelle Obama. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, her office revealed that she would not be in attendance at the Capitol building next week.
“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, per The Washington Post. While there wasn’t a reason given for her absence, this is the second major event in a row that Michelle has missed — she didn’t attend the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9.
When she skipped Jimmy Carter’s service, her team noted that she had a scheduling conflict and was in Hawaii at the time. Still, it’s hard not to overlook Michelle’s public dislike of Donald Trump. If had she attended the state funeral, she would have sat next to him — instead, it was her husband Barack Obama’s job to converse with the controversial political figure. While the men’s chat appeared pleasant, Michelle was probably relieved the burden didn’t fall on her shoulders.
So, it’s not a surprise that she isn’t attending Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Michelle isn’t the current first lady like she was in 2017 during his first inauguration, so it’s easier to break tradition this time around. Yet her absence makes a strong statement about where she stands with the incoming president’s policies.
In her 2018 memoir, Becoming, Michelle shared what Donald Trump’s “birther” theory, questioning Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship, did her family. “What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this, I’d never forgive him,” she wrote.
Again, Michelle hasn’t given any reason for not attending the inauguration, but it’s certainly understandable why she might not want to be present. It definitely sends a message — intentional or not — regarding her relationship with Donald Trump and his administration.
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