Michelle Obama Skips Jimmy Carter’s Funeral but ‘Sends Her Thoughts and Prayers’

January 9, 2025 Duy191098 Blog 0

The former first lady was notably absent from President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral service, leading Barack Obama and Donald Trump to be seated next to one another

By Published on January 9, 2025 12:08PM EST
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Former first lady Michelle Obama, Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis
Former first lady Michelle Obama, Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis . Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty; Jessica McGowan/Getty

Michelle Obama was not in attendance at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday, Jan. 9, as the former first lady usually has for past presidents.

“Former First Lady Michelle Obama is not in attendance at President Carter’s National Funeral Service,” her spokesperson Crystal Carson confirmed to PEOPLE on Thursday morning. “Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President.”

All five living presidents and the other first ladies were present at Carter’s funeral Thursday, including Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton; George W. Bush and Laura Bush; Donald Trump and Melania Trump; and Joe Biden and Jill Biden. The group sat together, alongside former President Barack Obama, who notably arrived alone.

U.S. Military Body Bearers carry the casket bearing the remains of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter into the Washington National Cathedral for his state funeral on January 9, 2025 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Military Body Bearers carry the casket bearing the remains of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter into the Washington National Cathedral for his state funeral on January 9, 2025 in Washington, DC.Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty

Michelle, 60, has often sat near former President Bush, 78, at other public events in which all living presidents gather, such as funerals for high-profile U.S. politicians.

The Democratic former first lady and the Republican former president have made headlines for joking with one another during those occasions and sharing a friendly, warm demeanor despite their political differences.

The former first lady shares a tense relationship with President-elect Trump, however, who was seated next to Obama and where she would have likely been seated if the former first lady was present at Carter’s funeral.

Former U.S. Vice Presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence, Karen Pence, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former U.S. President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, former U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump, U.S. President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attend the state funeral for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral on January 09, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Former U.S. Vice Presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence, Karen Pence, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former U.S. President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, former U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump, U.S. President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attend the state funeral for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral on January 09, 2025 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla/Getty

PEOPLE reported earlier Thursday that Trump, 78, did not stand to greet former President Obama, 63, when the former first and second families were all seated in the front rows. However, the two former presidents, who served back-to-back terms, appeared to later share a lengthy conversation.

Obama spent the 2024 presidential campaign speaking out against Trump while rallying for Vice President Kamala Harris, who delivered a eulogy for Carter on Tuesday while he lay in state inside the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building.

Carter, who served as the 39th U.S. president from 1977 to 1981, died at the age of 100 on Dec. 29. He was the longest living former president in U.S. history. His death comes roughly one year after his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, died in November 2023.