The seating plan at the funeral, which was attended by every other former first lady, would probably have sat Michelle Obama next to Trump – putting her in an awkward position after her words on the campaign trail. That posed no issue for Barack, who is well-used to engaging with political rivals in a social setting.
Michelle Obama has previously complained about the requirements placed on her by her husband’s political career.
Former president Barack Obama with wife and former first lady Michelle at the Democratic convention in Chicago.Credit: AP
In Barack Obama’s 2020 book A Promised Land, he wrote that his wife had told him she was frustrated about his long hours as an Illinois senator, telling him: “This isn’t what I signed up for, Barack. I feel like I’m doing it all by myself.”
‘Rediscovering their love’
He said the demands of eight years in the White House had placed a strain on their marriage, but they had spent time “rediscovering their love” and “replenishing their friendship” after he stood down.
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She has not appeared in public with Barack since the August speech, nor posted about politics on her social media accounts.
In October, she posted on Instagram about the couple’s 32nd anniversary, thanking him for “always having my back, being by my side, and finding ways to make me smile”.
Michelle Obama’s convention speech, in which she abandoned the Obama mantra “when they go low, we go high”, was interpreted as a major victory for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. In the room, the reception from the crowd was even greater than for her husband.
But she has firmly rejected calls from Democrats to run for president herself in 2028, despite polling that shows she would be the most popular primary contender on the ticket.
A statement from the couple on the day after Trump’s election victory said the result was “obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues”. It did not name Trump specifically.
‘Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s protocol’
Michelle Obama has since released a book, Overcoming, which she describes as a “workbook designed to help you get through the challenging periods life throws our way”.
Her absence from the inauguration comes after both Trump and his wife, Melania, declined to attend Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in 2021, while denying the result of the election.
A source close to Michelle Obama told People magazine that she had decided to skip the ceremony to avoid paying homage to Trump’s win.
“She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” the source said. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”
The Telegraph, London
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