Former President Jimmy Carter's casket being brought into the cathedral
Former President Jimmy Carter's casket is brought into the cathedral by military and family members.

Michelle Obama, Dick Cheney among notable absences at Carter funeral

by · Fox News

The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral included every living former president, as well as various dignitaries from around the world. 

Also notable were some VIPs not in attendance.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was not seen at the funeral inside Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral. The 83-year-old, who has had health issues, was the only living vice president who did not make the trip, as former Vice Presidents Al Gore, Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Dan Quayle were in attendance.

Also missing from the ceremony was former first lady Michelle Obama, who was not seated alongside her husband, former President Barack Obama.

"Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President," Crystal Carson, a spokesperson for Michelle Obama, told Politico.

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From left: former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, former President Barack Obama, President-elect Trump and Melania Trump arrive for the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The outlet reported that Michelle Obama, who would have sat next to Trump at the funeral, had a scheduling conflict and is in Hawaii.

Former first lady Hillary Clinton was in attendance alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Also spotted at the funeral were former first ladies Laura Bush and Melania Trump, who sat alongside their husbands. Former second lady Karen Pence was next to her husband and first lady Jill Biden was seated alongside President Biden.

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Former and current U.S. Secret Service agents assigned to the Jimmy Carter detail walk with the hearse carrying his flag-draped casket at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

All five living men who once occupied the White House — the so-called presidents’ club — President Biden and former presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama and President-elect Trump came together for the first time since the 2018 funeral of former President George H.W. Bush.

Other notable attendees included Vice President-elect JD Vance, Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, first son Hunter Biden and Ted Mondale, the son of late Vice President Walter Mondale.

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Children watch as the hearse carrying the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter pauses outside the state Capitol in Atlanta on Saturday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Following the funeral, Carter's remains will be flown to Georgia by the U.S. Air Force aboard Special Air Mission 39 for a private ceremony in his hometown of Plains.

Carter, the 39th president, died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100 after he was admitted to hospice care in 2023.

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

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