Michelle Obama skipping Trump inauguration to avoid having to 'pretend for protocol's sake:' reports
2025-01-16
Category: political

Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week, allegedly to avoid having to hide her disdain for the incoming president, according to new reports. "There's no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She's not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol's sake," a source close to the former first lady told People Magazine. "Michelle doesn't do anything because it's expected or it's protocol or it's tradition." "She served in the public eye and did all the public good that she could for eight years as first lady," the source said of Obama fulfilling her duties at Trump's 2017 inauguration. "You'll see her when she has a project or cause to promote but she doesn't feel the need to be a public figure anymore," they continued. Longtime allies of Michelle Obama also told The Hill they believed her decision to skip the inauguration was an act of resistance. MICHELLE OBAMA TO SKIP TRUMP INAUGURATION, 11 DAYS AFTER MISSING CARTER FUNERAL  "She meant every word she said on the campaign trail with every fiber of her being," one ally said in the report. "And she’s no hypocrite." Another longtime aide speculated Obama was "saving some credibility" by avoiding Trump. The former first lady repeatedly took jabs at Trump while on the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris and during her speeches at the Democratic National Convention in August. In one speech at the DNC, she accused Trump of spreading "racist lies" and opposing her husband's political career because of his race. While she will not be in attendance, her husband, former President Barack Obama, is scheduled to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration event along with former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and their spouses. TRUMP, OBAMA CHATTING AND LAUGHING AT CARTER FUNERAL LIGHTS UP SOCIAL MEDIA  In 2021, Trump notably broke tradition by not attending President Biden's inauguration, joining just a handful of presidents throughout U.S. history who've failed to attend the inaugurations of their successors. This will be the second time in two weeks that Michelle Obama has skipped a gathering of former presidents and their spouses. Obama did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week alongside her husband, who was seated next to Trump. Her advisers told CNN's Jeff Zeleny that she was not present at the funeral due to a scheduling conflict and was in Hawaii on an extended vacation. The Obama Foundation did not immediately return a request for comment. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The news of Michelle Obama skipping Trump's inauguration comes after former first lady Melania Trump revealed that she and her husband did not get enough information from the Obama administration about moving into the White House back in January 2017. "The difference is, I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the processes," the former first lady told "Fox &amp; Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt on Monday.&nbsp; "The first time was challenging. We didn't have much of the information, the information was upheld from us from the previous administration. But this time I have everything. I have the plans. I could move in. I already packed. I already selected the furniture that needs to go in. So it's a very different transition this time, second time around." Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.