Not Attend Donald Trump’s Inauguration After Also Missing Jimmy Carter’s Funeral

January 15, 2025 Duy191098 Blog 0

A spokesperson for the Obamas confirmed to PEOPLE that while Michelle plans to skip Trump’s swearing-in on Monday, Jan. 20, former President Barack Obama will be in attendance

By Her work as a writer/editor has previously appeared in places like Bustle, LAMag, and HelloGiggles.
Updated on January 14, 2025 11:36AM EST

Michelle Obama will not join her husband, Barack Obama, at Donald Trump‘s second presidential inauguration, a spokesperson for the former first couple confirmed to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

The announcement comes days after Michelle made headlines for missing Jimmy Carter‘s state funeral, where she would have been seated next to President-elect Trump.

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny reported at the time that the former first lady was “still in Hawaii on an extended holiday vacation” during the funeral, saying her advisers credited the absence to a scheduling conflict.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Former U.S. President Donald Trump
Michelle Obama and Donald Trump.David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty; James Devaney/GC Images

The Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony will mark the second for Trump, who previously won the 2016 presidential election against former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Presidential inaugurations — which represent the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another — are typically attended by former presidents and their families.

Trump’s January 2017 swearing-in ceremony was attended by the Obamas, outgoing Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, former President George W. Bush and former President Jimmy Carter.

The 2017 swearing-in ceremony was also attended by a number of key members of Trump’s family and inner circle, including wife Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and then-wife Vanessa Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and Barron Trump.

US President Barack Obama(R) and First Lady Michelle Obama(L) welcome Preisdent-elect Donald Trump(2nd-L) and his wife Melania(2nd-R) to the White House in Washington, DC January 20, 2017. / AFP / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
The Obamas and Trumps greet each other at the White House on Inauguration Day 2017.

Trump declined to attend the January 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden after his 2020 defeat, making him the first outgoing president in more than 150 years to skip the swearing-ceremony.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” he wrote in a Jan. 8, 2021, post to X.

The last time a sitting president had not attended the swearing-in ceremony of the incoming president was in 1869 when Andrew Johnson refused to attend the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant.

U.S. President Donald Trump, stands with his son Barron Trump in the presidential review stand outside the White House during the 58th presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
Barron Trump and Donald Trump at the presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2017.Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty

On Jan. 1, Trump announced plans to host a “victory rally” on the eve of his upcoming inauguration via an announcement on his inauguration site. The “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. local time at Capital One Arena on Jan. 19.

Trump has described the event as “a victory rally you’ll never forget” according to a sign-up page on the site. While it is unclear how many supporters are expected to attend, the event space holds 20,000 people.

This will be the first rally Trump will hold in Washington, D.C., since the rally that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021.