Michelle Obama won’t attend Trump inauguration – but Barack will, speculation of a widening rift between them
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Michelle Obama did not attend Jimmy Carter’s funeral with husband Barack last week and is also skipping next week the inauguration of Donald Trump as United States 47th President, which Barack has confirmed he will attend.
Michelle is reported to be skipping Trump’s inauguration because she refuses to “be fake” about her loyalties – in stark contrast to her husband’s recent efforts to “unify.”
She was noticeably absent from the funeral of the 39th US President on January 9 where Barack was seen laughing and cozying up to Trump, billed for presidential inauguration on January 20.
MailOnline reports that Trump and Obama shared a warm interaction ahead of the service, having a whispered conversation with one another in a moment which set the internet alight. ‘It did look very friendly, I must say,’ Trump later said.
But according to a source who spoke to Page Six, Michelle has no such plans to smooth over her relationship with Trump – putting her at odds with her husband’s friendly efforts.
‘She’s never been fake and she’s never been phony. She’s always been very deliberate about where and how she shows up,’ the source said.
‘She showed up reluctantly for the election. They were united, but she doesn’t have to unify around [Trump]. She doesn’t have to say anything.
‘Her absence speaks volumes.’
On Wednesday, the office of Barack and Michelle Obama confirmed that Michelle would not be at the inauguration in a statement to the Associated Press.
‘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.
Historically, MailOnline adds, this would be seen as a monumental snub given all former presidents and first ladies have attended inauguration – even for the president of the opposite party – unless they were suffering from health issues.
But Trump himself blew up that modern precedent four years ago when he refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his successor, Joe Biden.
Former now incoming First lady Melania Trump also skipped Biden’s inauguration.
When Michelle missed Carter’s funeral, it was immediately cleared up that she had a ‘scheduling conflict’ which prevented her from attending. She was enjoying an extended holiday in Hawaii at the time.
But on this occasion, her office has made no such effort to explain away her absence.
At the funeral, Trump sat side by side with Obama, and later revealed they get along despite their differences and their past attacks on one another.
‘I didn’t realize how friendly it looked,’ Trump said.
‘I said, “Boy they look like two people who like each other” and we probably do. We have little different philosophies, right, but we probably do.
‘I don´t know. We just got along. But I got along with just about everybody,’ Trump added.
It comes amid wild conspiracy theories that the Obamas are heading for a split, according to MailOnline.
The two huge non-appearances have some fans of the political power couple concerned there’s trouble in paradise, with many taking to X to share their thoughts.
‘I’m calling it, the Obamas are getting a divorce,’ wrote one person.
Another posted: ‘An Obama divorce would not be on my 2025 predictions but it might happen.’
The couple, who first met in 1989 when they both worked at a law firm in Chicago, married in 1992.
They welcomed their first daughter, Malia, six years later in 1998, and their second daughter, Sasha, in 2001.
However, although they’ve had a long-lasting marriage, the two have not shied away from sharing their struggles.
When they first had children, the couple would quarrel over Barack’s six-hour round trip commute to work at the Illinois Senate – also spending days away at a time due to his job.
In his 2020 memoir A Promised Land, Barack recalling an exhausted Michelle telling him on one occasion: ‘This isn’t what I signed up for, Barack. I feel like I’m doing it all by myself.’
At first, Michelle was resistant to Barack running for President, but warmed to the idea after she realized the enormous impact he could have on young, Black children across the nation.
While they were in the White House for eight years, they argued by continued to persevere with their marriage.
Barack recalled in his book an ‘undercurrent of tension’ in his wife during their early years in the White House, which he said was ‘subtle but constant.’
But after his two term Presidency ended in 2017, the couple were able to get back to their relationship and enjoy each other’s company once again.
In his book, Barack wrote that they spent a lot of time ‘replenishing their friendship’ and ‘rediscovering their love’ after leaving the White House in 2017.
‘We slept late, ate leisurely dinners, went for long walks, swam in the ocean, took stock, and planned for a less eventful but hopefully no less satisfying second act,’ he wrote.
On her podcast The Light, Michelle even recalled wanting to ‘push Barack out of the window’ on numerous occasions, but added that she was glad she ‘didn’t quit’ on her husband.
‘You’ve got to know that there are going to be times, long periods of time, when you can’t stand each other,’ she told listeners.
‘The feelings will be intense. But that doesn’t mean you quit and these periods can last a long time – they can last years.
‘[I and Barack] have a very strong marriage. If I had given up on it, if I had walked away from it, in those tough times, then I would’ve missed all the beauty that was there as well.’
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