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Why Michelle Obama Missed Jimmy Carter's Funeral

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Originally appeared on E! Online

Michelle Obama is sending her condolences to late president Jimmy Carter from afar.

After the former president died Dec. 29 at the age of 100, President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff, President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump, as well as three other living presidents and their spouses gathered to pay their respects at his Jan. 9 memorial service.

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But while former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were also joined by their spouses Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, Barack Obama attended the service solo. As CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny reported amid the service of Michelle, “I’m told by her advisers she had scheduling conflicts. She’s still in Hawaii.”

Still, Michelle did take time to share a message of support to former president Carter’s loved ones following his death.

“President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service,” the Obamas wrote in a joint social media statement Dec. 29. “Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.”

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The former president—who led the nation from 1977 to 1981—is survived by four children, including John William "Jack" Carter, James E. "Chip" Carter III, Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff" Carter and Amy Carter, as well as 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. His late wife, Rosalynn Carter, preceded him in death in 2023, when she died at the age of 96.

Following the loss of his father, Chip shared a nod to his memory.

“My father was a hero not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” Chip wrote in a Carter Center statement after his father’s death. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

During his time as the 39th president of the United States, Carter focused on international diplomacy, solidifying the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords—creating a framework of peace between Israel and Egypt—and the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, which limited both nations’ number of nuclear forces.

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Domestically, Carter also pardoned those who resisted the draft for the Vietnam War, focused on energy conservation and passed the Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act, which aimed to keep unemployment below three percent and inflation below four percent.

At his inauguration, Carter exited his limousine and walked to the White House—which “shocked” the Secret Service, per the Miller Center. In his speech that day, he stated his aim of his four-year presidency was to simply do his best.

ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images

“We have learned that 'more' is not necessarily ‘better,’ that even our great nation has its recognized limits, and that we can neither answer all questions nor solve all problems," he said. “We cannot afford to do everything, nor can we afford to lack boldness as we meet the future.”

He also emphasized his goal to promote equity during his term.

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“We have already found a high degree of personal liberty, and we are now struggling to enhance equality of opportunity,” he said during his address. “Our commitment to human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our natural beauty preserved; the powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced.”

The collection of living former presidents at Carter’s funeral is the first time the nation’s previous leaders have been in the same room since 2018—at late president George H.W. Bush’s funeral—but many other powerful politicians also attended the event.

Keep reading to see more guests in attendance…

Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump & Melania Trump

The leaders formed a united front to pay their respects to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who died in late December at the age of 100.

Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump & Melania Trump

Carter's service marked the first time that all five living presidents—Biden, Trump, Obama, Clinton and Bush—gathered together since George H. W. Bush's funeral in Dec. 2018.

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Barack Obama & Donald Trump

Obama, who was without wife Michelle Obama, sat alongside Trump ahead of the president-elect's Jan. 20 inauguration.

JD Vance

The vice-president elect, who will formally step into his new leadership role later this month, was also among the attendees.

Justin Trudeau & Prince Edward

Canada's prime minister, who recently announced his plan to resign, was seated alongside King Charles III's brother.

Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Barack Obama, Donald Trump & Melania Trump

The political leaders stood in honor of Carter at the Washington National Cathedral.

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Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris & Doug Emhoff

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Kamala Harris, George W. Bush & Laura Bush

The vice president shared a moment with the former president and former first lady.

Al Gore

RICKY CARIOTI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Bill Clinton & Hillary Clinton

The former president and former secretary of state, who've been married since 1975, were among the attendees.

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Kamala Harris & Doug Emhoff

SAMUEL CORUM/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Donald Trump & Melania Trump

Mandel NGAN / AFP

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