‘She has to do her duty’: A Fox News host whines about a former First Lady skipping Trump’s inauguration
Four years after Donald Trump refused to attend his successor’s inauguration because he was pouting, a Fox News host whines that former First Lady Michelle Obama is “unpatriotic” for skipping Trump’s inauguration.
In 2020, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into office in an unprecedented manner. The Trump administration threw courtesy and tradition to the wind as Trump tried desperately to disrupt the transition of power. Biden wasn’t offered the courtesy of Trump’s presence at his inauguration, while Harris didn’t receive a traditional courtesy sit down with the Pences. They were sworn into office in a chaotic environment as Trump and his supporters continued circulating baseless claims of election fraud, and they were just days past the violent January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Yet, four years later, Trump and his supporters are now keen on giving him and J. D. Vance the perfect welcome to the White House. Even though the country is mourning the late Jimmy Carter, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson ordered the flags to fly at full-staff for the inauguration. MAGAs also actually expected Harris to invite Vance to the vice president’s residence for a courtesy tour after he called her “trash” and a “childless cat lady.” To top it all off, some Trump supporters are even disgruntled that not every notable name will be in attendance for the event.
Fox News host rages over Michelle Obama skipping Trump’s inauguration
It is customary for former presidents and their spouses to attend an incoming president’s inauguration, though it’s not required. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton are all expected to attend. However, the office of Michelle and Barack Obama confirmed to the Associated Press that Michelle would not be in attendance. A reason for her absence was not provided. She also was notably absent from Carter’s funeral due to an extended holiday in Hawaii. Claims that she skipped the funeral and inauguration because of the Obamas’ turbulent history with Trump are pure speculation and have not been confirmed.
Even without knowing the reason for her absence, Jesse Watters laid into Michelle for her decision. On Jesse Watters Primetime, the Fox News host was perturbed by the former First Lady missing Carter’s funeral and Trump’s inauguration. He accused her of putting Obama in an awkward position by allowing him to attend these events alone, stating, “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?” Watters also refused to entertain the notion that she had a good reason to skip the events, as he accused her of simply not wanting to go.
His rant grew even more unhinged when he compared Michelle’s absence to Trump skipping Biden’s inauguration for no reason. He fumed, “I remember when it was unpatriotic to skip an inauguration. The media and the Democrats are singing a different tune now that it’s one of their own breaking the norms they claim to love so much.” The two instances aren’t even remotely comparable. He’s trying to equate a woman who was First Lady in 2017 being unable to attend an incoming president’s inauguration to Trump refusing to attend his own successor’s inauguration because he was throwing a temper tantrum.
Trump is one of only a small handful of presidents who skipped their successor’s inauguration, and he is the first in over 150 years to do so. He didn’t skip it due to poor health or fear of provoking violence but out of anger at losing. Between skipping the inauguration and staging an insurrection, Trump proved to be the most unpatriotic, petty, and sore loser president in modern history. Given what he did and how he was the first to break tradition, it’s no wonder Democrats have changed their tune on tradition and see nothing wrong with certain insignificant courtesies not being offered to Trump and Vance.
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