For many, the absence of the former first lady was very noticeable but she offered a specific reason for not attending the state funeral for the former President.
The state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter brought forth a rare sighting in Washington, D.C., politics, as every living current and former U.S. president attended the Thursday service held at the Washington National Cathedral.
President Joe Biden, who delivered the eulogy in honor of America’s 39th president, sat in the front row alongside his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Behind them sat former President Bill Clinton, former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, and former President Barack Obama. Alongside Obama, sat former president and now President-elect, Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
For many, the absence of former First Lady Michelle Obama was very noticeable.
According to CNN national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny, Mrs. Obama did not attend President Carter’s funeral due to a “scheduling conflict.”
“I’m told by her advisors that she has scheduling conflicts,” Zeleny shared, adding, “She’s still in Hawaii.”
In a statement, Crystal Carson, a spokesperson for Michelle Obama, said, “Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President.”
First Lady Obama had last attended a presidential funeral when former President George H.W. Bush was eulogized in Washington, D.C., in December 2018. At that service, also held at the Washington National Cathedral, Michelle Obama notably shook Donald Trump’s hand.
In Michelle Obama’s absence, President Obama sat directly next to Trump, his successor and arguably his political nemesis. The Obamas notably campaigned hard for their friend, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 presidential election. Despite traveling across the country, delivering stump speeches to rooms filled with thousands, Harris lost her bid for the White House to Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in less than two weeks on Jan. 20.
During her now viral speech at the Democratic National Convention in July before last year’s election, Mrs. Obama took Trump to task for his political attacks on her and her husband.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” said the former first lady and author of the New York Times best-selling book, “The Light We Carry.” She added, “His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.”
After Trump’s November win, Michelle Obama joined her husband in trying to make sense of Harris’ devastating loss.
“This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues,” the Obamas said in a joint statement. “But living in a democracy is about recognizing that each point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”
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