On Tuesday (Jan. 14), The Associated Press revealed that former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Her husband, Barack Obama, will be at the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony, which takes place at the U.S. Capitol.

The representative for the couple confirmed the plans in an official statement. “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th inaugural ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” the statement read. No reasons were provided for her decision to skip the event, nor for her earlier absence from former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, which took place the previous week. At that service, Barack and Trump sat next to each other while sharing laughs and light conversation – a notable sight given their historically contentious political relationship.

Hillary Clinton, a vocal critic of Trump during his first term and a central figure in the 2016 election he won, will join her husband, Bill Clinton, according to a spokesperson. Similarly, the Office of George W. Bush confirmed that both he and Laura Bush will attend. All three former heads of state and their spouses, including the Clintons and the Obamas, showed up to Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, where the late Carter was also present.

Michelle was a pivotal figure during her spouse's White House occupation, and she was active in campaigning against Trump during all his presidential bids. AP further shared that, in her 2018 memoir, “Becoming,” she expressed her shock at his election and condemned his infamous “birther” conspiracy against Barack and his American citizenship. “The whole [birther] thing was crazy and mean-spirited... It was also dangerous, deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks,” she wrote. In 2024, she supported Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and, during a rally in Michigan, warned of the consequences for women’s rights should Trump return to office.