Former US President Barack Obama greets former first lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention last August. Photo / Getty Images via AFP
Former US President Barack Obama greets former first lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention last August. Photo / Getty Images via AFP
Barack and Michelle Obama criticised Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Michelle Obama will not attend the US presidential inauguration, leaving Barack Obama to attend alone.
Her absence is seen as about avoiding Trump, following her critical comments during the campaign.
The couple lapped up applause from delegates as they doled out personal attacks on the Republican nominee, who Obama accused of “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies”.
Five months – and one election loss – later, the speech also marks the last time the Obamas have made a public appearance together.
Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush will both join their husbands on Monday (Tuesday NZT).
A spokesman gave no reason for her absence, after explaining that she was unable to appear for Carter’s funeral because of a scheduling conflict. It has since emerged that Michelle Obama was on holiday in Hawaii without her husband.
Her withdrawal from political life has been interpreted by some as an attempt to avoid coming face-to-face with Trump, who was pictured laughing and joking with her husband at Carter’s funeral.
Some Democrats criticised Barack Obama for speaking so openly to Trump after his election win – noting that Kamala Harris ignored her political rival completely.
Former US President Barack Obama greets former first lady Michelle Obama as he arrives to speak on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo / Getty Images via AFP
The seating plan at the funeral, which was attended by every other former first lady, would likely have sat Michelle Obama next to Trump – putting her in an awkward position after her words on the campaign trail. Although that posed no issue for Barack Obama, who is well-used to engaging with political rivals in a social setting.
Michelle Obama has previously complained about the requirements placed on her by her husband’s political career.
In Barack Obama’s 2020 book, A Promised Land, he wrote that his wife had told him she was frustrated about his long hours as an Illinois senator, telling him: “This isn’t what I signed up for, Barack. I feel like I’m doing it all by myself.”
‘Rediscovering their love’
He said the demands of eight years in the White House had placed a strain on their marriage, but that they had spent time “rediscovering their love” and “replenishing their friendship” after he stood down.
She has not appeared in public with Barack Obama since the August speech, nor posted about politics on her social media accounts.
In October, she posted on Instagram about the couple’s 32nd anniversary, thanking him for “always having my back, being by my side, and finding ways to make me smile”.
Michelle Obama’s convention speech, which saw her abandon the Obama mantra “when they go low, we go high”, was interpreted as a major victory for Harris’ presidential campaign. In the room, the reception from the crowd was even greater than for her husband.
But she has firmly rejected calls from Democrats to run for President herself in 2028, despite polling that shows she would be the most popular primary contender on the ticket.
A statement from the couple on the day after Trump’s election victory said the result was “obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues”. It did not name Trump specifically.
‘Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s protocol’
Michelle Obama has since released a book, Overcoming, which she describes as a “workbook designed to help you get through the challenging periods life throws our way”.
A source close to Michelle Obama told People magazine that she had decided to skip the ceremony to avoid paying homage to Trump’s win.
“She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” the source said. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”
