Former First Lady Michelle Obama won’t be attending Monday’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, according to a statement.
“This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues,” former President Barack Obama said in a statement announcing Michelle’s decision not to attend. “In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace – even to people with whom we deeply disagree.”
The news follows the former first lady declining to attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, an event that would have sat her next to Trump.
The former president said he plans to attend the inauguration. During Carter’s funeral, he sat next to Trump and their chit-chat ahead of services went viral.
Obama said it’s important “to accept the peaceful transfer of power” and he congratulated Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for running “a remarkable campaign.”
