A Notable Name Is Skipping Trump's Inauguration

Former first lady Michelle Obama will sit out a second January event rife with Washington's current and former political elite: The joint office of Obama and former President Obama confirmed that she won't attend the inauguration of President-elect Trump on Monday, putting it succinctly, per the AP:

• The statement: "Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration."
• Who is attending: Former presidents Bush, Clinton, and Obama. Former first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

• A second skip: Michelle Obama was absent at the state funeral of former President Carter earlier this month; no reason was given.
• Perhaps a clue: Michelle Obama had this to say about Trump's 2017 inauguration: "To sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display, there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage," Obama said in 2023, per CBS News. "There was no reflection of the broader sense of America. Many people took pictures of me and they're like, you weren't in a good mood. No, I was not."

(More Michelle Obama stories.)