Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are being called out for complaining over reports that former First Lady Michelle Obama will not be in attendance at Trump's upcoming inauguration—while casually ignoring the fact that Trump himself didn't even attend President Joe Biden's inauguration.
A spokesperson for the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama said in a statement that while Obama's husband, former President Barack Obama, will attend the ceremony, she will not be present. The Obamas' statement did not provide an explanation for the former first lady’s absence.
This marks the second instance in two weeks where she has skipped a major public event attended by Trump. Last week, she missed former President Jimmy Carter’s national funeral service, with her advisers citing a scheduling conflict. Had she attended, she would have been seated next to Trump, a situation avoided as her husband took her place alongside the incoming president.
The former first lady has previously expressed strong disapproval of Trump. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention last year, she delivered pointed criticism, accusing him of promoting “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions.”
The news she would not attend annoyed Fox News host Jesse Watters, who called her out for a perceived lack of decorum and questioned her patriotism:
“She just doesn’t want to go. Michelle’s hanging Barack out to dry for the second high-profile political event within just a few weeks. Why are Barack and Michelle on such different pages? Barack can’t convince his wife she has to do her duty and attend the inauguration?” ...
“I remember when it was unpatriotic to skip an inauguration."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Considering Watters' influence, the Fox coverage is reflective of sentiments shared by millions of MAGA supporters who have demanded respect for the president-elect while overlooking the fact that he shunned Biden's inauguration.
Not only did Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, not attend, it is crucial to note that they did not do so against the backdrop of Trump's repeated lies that the 2020 election was fraudulent and the fact that his own supporters had, spurred by these fictions, attacked the U.S. Capitol—resulting in five deaths and millions of dollars in property damage—just two weeks prior.
Additionally, Trump's disrespect for norms was not only to be expected but characteristic of his approach to governance and the executive office, with the Council on Foreign Relations noting that he was “the first president in more than 150 years ... to skip his successor’s swearing-in for reasons other than ill-health."
Liberal activist Harry Sisson was quick to call out this hypocrisy, writing the following on X:
"It’s so funny to watch MAGA freak out over Michelle Obama not attending Trump’s inauguration. Like, guys… you do realize Donald Trump didn’t go to Biden’s, right? Not a single member of the Trump family attended. Save your fake outrage."
You can see his post below.
Others also pointed out this fact that MAGA conveniently overlooks.
It's worth noting that because the former First Lady is not a politician, she is not obligated to attend the inauguration.
Additionally, she has been vocal about her discomfort with politics, despite consistently ranking as one of the most popular Democratic figures in polls asking whom people would like to see run for president.
However, after her husband completed his second term, she firmly dismissed the idea of pursuing public office, stating unequivocally that she had no desire or interest in doing so.
