Former first lady rebuffs Trump Michelle Obama has gone underground - but why?
Michelle Obama will not be attending Donald Trump's inauguration. She also did not attend Jimmy Carter's funeral. The reasons give rise to speculation.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Michelle Obama will not be attending Donald Trump's inauguration.
- She already stayed away from the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter last week.
- Her absence has led to discussions about possible personal or political motives.
Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden - the big names in US politics gathered at the Washington National Cathedral last week to bid farewell to former President Jimmy Carter.
But the political clocks are turning fast: in just a few days, another major event will come into focus. With the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States, a new chapter in the country's history is about to begin - and another rendezvous for the political elite.
The big absentee: Michelle Obama. The wife of former President Barack Obama is absent from both events. Her absence from Jimmy Carter's funeral sparked wild speculation. Her office said she was sending her "thoughts and prayers" to the Carter family, but did not give a specific reason for her absence. CNN reported that she was unable to attend due to an extended vacation in Hawaii.
"Where is Michelle Obama?"
On Wednesday night, the Obama office announced that Michelle Obama would also be absent from the Trump swearing-in ceremony. "Former President Barack Obama has confirmed his attendance at the ceremony. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration," a statement read, according to theNew York Times.
These decisions have led to speculation. US political observers suspect that her absence from the inauguration is an expression of her displeasure with Trump and his policies. In her autobiography "Becoming", Michelle Obama sharply criticized Trump, particularly for his "birther" campaign, which questioned the legitimacy of her husband's presidency. In her biography, Obama wrote that she would "never forgive" him for this.
However, it is not clear whether her displeasure with Trump and his election was actually the decisive factor in her decision. According to the portal "Glamour ", it is also possible that personal or family reasons led to her absence.
One thing is clear: Michelle Obama's absence is preoccupying the US population. In the hours following the funeral of Jimmy Carter, the deceased US president was not the most searched term on Google, according to the "First Post". Instead, the US search engine was confronted with another question that was asked over 100,000 times: "Where is Michelle Obama?"
