Many have discussed why Michelle Obama was not at Jimmy Carter’s funeral

On Thursday, US government leaders, past and present, gathered to pay their respects to the former President. But Michelle Obama was not there. Her husband, former President Barack Obama, was at the funeral. He was with four other living presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. They all went to the Washington National Cathedral to be with the family of the dead President. Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died on December 29 at the age of 100, a record no other American president has beaten. During the funeral, former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and their respective spouses sat in the front pews of the cathedral. Obama sat behind Biden, his wife, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and her husband. Michelle Obama's office confirmed to the Associated Press that she did not attend the funeral but did not say where she was or why she was not there. Her spokesperson, Crystal Carson, told the AP in a statement: "Former First Lady Michelle Obama is not at President Carter's National Funeral Service. Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President." Before the funeral, CNN said that the former first lady could not attend because she was on holiday. Funeral services for former presidents are among the few events that bring together the nation's most significant leaders, both past and present, important people from all parts of the US government, and representatives of foreign leaders (Smith, 2019). The Associated Press (AP) reported that former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appeared to speak politely to his successor, former President Donald Trump, a Republican. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, and former President George W. Bush, a Republican, also appeared to speak nicely to each other. Trump shook hands with his former vice president, Mike Pence, who was a loyal supporter until he refused to support Trump's efforts to remain President after losing the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.