Michelle Obama Is Not Attending Donald Trump's Inauguration, but Do We Know Why?

Typically, the inauguration of the next president is attended by all former presidents and first ladies. The tradition is meant to suggest that there is continuity in American governance, but news recently broke that former First Lady Michelle Obama would not be attending Donald Trump's inauguration.

This news comes after she was also absent from the state funeral for Jimmy Carter. Following the announcement, here's what we know about why she might not be there.

In a brief statement from her office, Michelle confirmed that she would not be at the ceremony. “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies,” the statement said. “Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”

No reason was provided for why she would be absent in the statement, leading to rampant speculation about what the reason might be.

This declination, in combination with her absence from Jimmy Carter's funeral proceedings, could suggest that she has no desire to interact with Donald Trump, whom she campaigned vehemently against and has expressed personal disdain for.

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” she said during her speech at the DNC in August.

While some of what is said on the campaign trail is heightened rhetoric, it seems clear that her repeated attacks on Trump were more personal than that, rooted in part in his rise to prominence for claiming that her husband was not born in the United States.

Michelle's absence from the funeral was attributed to a scheduling conflict, but by protocol, she would have been required to sit next to Trump during the ceremony.

While there are some on the right who are likely to attack Michelle for being a sore loser, it's worth remembering that Donald Trump did not attend the last inauguration after he lost the 2020 election. In fact, Trump was so upset about losing that election that he helped to foment an insurrection that led to the deaths of several people and an occupation of the U.S. Capitol building.

There has also been speculation, though, that the absences could signal some sort of issue with the Obamas' marriage, or that it could be a problem with Michelle's health.

While we can't rule either of those things out, it seems most likely that the reason Michelle has skipped several public appearances recently is because of her disdain for the incoming president, and her lack of desire to share space with him.

Michelle's hatred of politics is well documented, and her distaste for Trump in particular even more so. Given that potent combination, it makes sense that she wouldn't want to take time out of her life to see him assume power once again. We might not know exactly why she's skipping public events right now, but we have an idea.