Melania Trump made a subtle dig toward the Obamas, claiming they “withheld” information from her husband during his first term in the White House that ultimately made the transition

Former first lady Michelle Obama won’t attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, though former President Barack Obama will be there, the Obamas' office said in a statement. No reason was given.

On January 20, 2025, Michelle Obama skipped Donald Trump's inauguration. Instead, she took to Instagram to honor MLK Day, and encouraged her followers to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "legacy of service."

President Trump was sworn into office for a second time on Monday before an audience in the Capitol that included his predecessor, former President Biden, as well as former Presidents Obama,

It’s one of the most important jobs never applied for. Unelected, yet inextricable from politics; constantly visible on the world stage, but rarely the one behind the microphone — for all its glamour, the first lady of the United States is a role of unsolicited duty, often bringing with it intense public scrutiny, including over what they wear.

The inauguration was the second gathering of U.S. presidents and their spouses that Michelle Obama has missed in recent weeks.

Exploring how First Lady fashion became political theater, from Jackie O to Melania Trump,revealing gender bias where women's style overshadows policy in public discourse

The inaugural hat was like nothing so much as the broad-brimmed white hat Mrs. Trump wore during a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife in 2018, which likewise made waves and which she auctioned off in 2022 as an “iconic broad-brimmed one-of-a-kind hat.” Her reference was herself.

As she returns to the East Wing she left in 2021, Trump has an opportunity to reshape a role that is both prominent and poorly defined