Newly elected President Donald Trump’s inaugural luncheon will be missing three prominent faces, with former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all reportedly declining to attend.
Obama received Trump’s invitation but declined to attend. Clinton said he has no plans to attend and Bush’s office said it was not keeping track of an invitation for him to the event, according to sources who spoke to NBC News.
The traditional lunch will take place after Monday’s swearing-in ceremony, which all three former presidents have said they will attend.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton, who attended Trump’s inaugural luncheon after losing to him in the 2016 election, was also invited to the luncheon but will not attend this year. NBC too reported.
Former first lady Michelle Obama has also said she will skip the all-day events. Although no reason was given, multiple points of sale have pointed out Trump is already years old personal attacks on her and her family, and her fierce criticism of him while campaigning against his re-election.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will also skip Trump’s inauguration entirely, a spokesperson for her office told JS.
Representatives for all three former presidents, none of whom supported Trump’s re-election, did not immediately respond to JS’s requests for comment on Thursday.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
While Trump has long been known for his public, personal attacks and criticisms of others, cordiality between Trump and his predecessors has deteriorated dramatically in the years since he took office.
During Trump’s lunch in 2017 he shouted a standing ovation for his former rival, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her husband, saying he was deeply honored when he heard they would be attending the event.
“I have great respect for these two people,” he said, before predicting four years of “peace and prosperity” under his government. According to a 2018 report, he tried to prosecute Hillary Clinton once he took power The New York Times.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
The countdown to Trump has begun
Support JS
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
After losing his 2020 re-election bid, Trump and his wife Melania Trump notably did not attend any of Joe Biden’s inauguration events, including Biden’s swearing-in ceremony.
That event went ahead despite Trump loyalists storming the U.S. Capitol days earlier, with Trump continually insisting the election had been stolen from him.
According to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), inaugural luncheons have been held at the U.S. Capitol for the new president, vice president and guests since 1953. supervises all opening events.