Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week, allegedly to avoid having to hide her disdain for the incoming president, according to new reports.
"There's no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She's not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol's sake," a source close to the former first lady told People Magazine. "Michelle doesn't do anything because it's expected or it's protocol or it's tradition."
"She served in the public eye and did all the public good that she could for eight years as first lady," the source said of Obama fulfilling her duties at Trump's 2017 inauguration. "You'll see her when she has a project or cause to promote but she doesn't feel the need to be a public figure anymore," they continued.
Longtime allies of Michelle Obama also told The Hill they believed her decision to skip the inauguration was an act of resistance. "She meant every word she said on the campaign trail with every fiber of her being," one ally said in the report. "And she’s no hypocrite." Another longtime aide speculated Obama was "saving some credibility" by avoiding Trump.
In 2021, Trump notably broke tradition by not attending President Biden's inauguration, joining just a handful of presidents throughout U.S. history who've failed to attend the inaugurations of their successors. This will be the second time in two weeks that Michelle Obama has skipped a gathering of former presidents and their spouses.
The news of Michelle Obama skipping Trump's inauguration comes after former first lady Melania Trump revealed that she and her husband did not get enough information from the Obama administration about moving into the White House back in January 2017. "The difference is, I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the processes," the former first lady told "Fox & Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt on Monday.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
