Michelle Obama opts out of Trump swearing-in. 'Divorce' has nothing to do with it

Former First Lady Michelle Obama won't be attending Donald Trump's inauguration. It echoes a previous break with tradition when Trump refused to attend Joe Biden's swearing-in over baseless claims that the presidential election was stolen.

In Short

• Barack Obama will attend Trump inauguration, Michelle to skip
• Michelle also absent at Jimmy Carter's funeral due to scheduling conflict
• Rumours rife of Obamas divorcing; sources deny marital discord

Former First Lady Michelle Obama won’t be attending President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration, breaking with a 150-year-old tradition where former presidents and their spouses typically participate. Her office offered no specific explanation for the snub.

While Michelle Obama will not be present, her husband, former President Barack Obama, is expected to attend the formal swearing-in ceremony next week.

The announcement comes on the heels of Michelle Obama's absence from the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter last week, where Barack Obama was seen laughing and chatting with Trump; the moment had gone viral. CNN reported that Michelle Obama had a scheduling conflict and remained in Hawaii, where she had been on an "extended vacation."

This, coupled with her decision not to join her husband at Trump’s inauguration, has spurred a raft of reactions online – from self-righteous griping by conservatives about breaking tradition to wild rumours that the Obamas are heading for divorce.

However, speculations of marital discord are unfounded; sources close to her indicate that she has opted out of Trump’s swearing-in because she "doesn’t want to fake a smile" at the event.

Trump's “offending comments” towards the Obamas and his “history of racism” appear to have led to the former First Lady's decision. According to a source cited by People, "There’s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake."

Michelle Obama's disdain for Trump is well-documented. During Trump's 2017 inauguration, photographers captured her visibly troubled expression as she and Barack Obama left the White House.

In her 2018 memoir 'Becoming', she wrote that Trump propagating the false birther claims about Barack Obama -- that he wasn't born in the United States -- put her family's safety at risk. "For this I’d never forgive him," she said.

During a podcast appearance in 2023, she expressed disappointment at the lack of diversity in the crowd at Trump's first inauguration, noting that the ceremony did not reflect "the broader sense of America".

The source continued, "She served in the public eye and did all the public good that she could for eight years as first lady. 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."

Michelle Obama won’t be the only Democrat absent from the inauguration. Other prominent figures like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are also skipping the ceremony on January 20.

They're not the first. Four years ago, Trump broke with tradition when he refused to attend President Joe Biden's inauguration over baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen and acrimony over the January 6 Capitol riots.