Why Is Michelle Obama Not at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral Today?
Almost every former American president and their spouse attended Carter’s funeral, except former First Lady Michelle.
Late former President Jimmy Carter was laid to rest during his Thursday, January 9, 2025, funeral. Carter was honored all week in various processions before he was brought to the Washington National Cathedral. Almost every former American president and their spouse was present for the funeral except Former First Lady Michelle Obama. However, her husband, former President Barack Obama, attended and was seen sitting next to Donald Trump. The two appeared to have an amicable conversation, as seen in the live coverage on the day of mourning. So, where was Michelle and why wasn’t she there?
Michelle, 60, and Barack, 63, paid tribute to Carter in a statement. The late former president died on December 29, 2024, when he was 100 years old.
“Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them,” Obama’s statement read. “And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, ‘God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.’ He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it. Maranatha Baptist Church will be a little quieter on Sundays, but President Carter will never be far away — buried alongside [wife] Rosalynn [Carter] next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.”
Find out where Michelle was during Carter’s funeral below.
Donald Trump & Barack Obama seated next to each other at Jimmy Carter’s funeral. pic.twitter.com/aGbOTKW8UC
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 9, 2025
When Is Jimmy Carter’s Funeral?
Carter’s official funeral began at 10 a.m. ET on January 9 at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Who Is at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral?
Apart from Barack and Donald, 78, President Joe Biden First Lady Jill Biden, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush and Laura Bush and Mike Pence were at Carter’s funeral.
Why Is Michelle Obama Not at Carter’s Funeral?
According to journalist Jeff Zeleny, Michelle had “scheduling conflicts” with the funeral, he told CNN, adding that the former first lady is “still in Hawaii.”