Why Michelle Obama Missed Jimmy Carter's Funeral

Emily Burack
·1 min read

At Jimmy Carter's state funeral in Washington, D.C. today, all five living current and former presidents were in attendance, but only four first ladies. Former first lady Michelle Obama did not join her husband, former president Barack Obama, at the ceremony.

According to journalist Jeff Zeleny, speaking on CNN, she had scheduling conflicts. "I'm told by her advisors that she has scheduling conflicts," Zeleney said on the network's broadcast of the funeral. "She's still in Hawaii," he added.

us politics carter
Obama was seated next to President-elect Trump. MANDEL NGAN - Getty Images

In his tribute to Carter, shared on the day he passed in December, Obama wrote, "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. 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."

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He concluded, "Maranatha Baptist Church will be a little quieter on Sundays, but President Carter will never be far away — buried alongside Rosalynn 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."

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