Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s luncheon.
Obama received an invitation but declined to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. Clinton has also been invited but does not plan to attend, according to a second source familiar with the matter, while Bush’s office said it was not following up on the lunch invitation.
Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton also received an invitation to the inaugural luncheon but will not attend, according to a third source familiar with the matter.
A spokesman for Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
All three former presidents, however, will attend Trump’s inauguration earlier in the day, according to their parties. The former first wives will attend the inauguration without Michelle Obama, according to the Obamas’ office. No reason was given. Michelle Obama also did not attend the funeral service last week for former President Jimmy Carter, making her the only one among all current and former presidents and first ladies.
Inauguration Day is one of the only times when all living former presidents come together to preside over the next administration. Trump, however, refused to attend the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021.
None of the former presidents supported Trump. Bush refused, and Obama and Clinton actively campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Clintons attended the lunch in 2017 after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. During lunch, he encouraged her to shout.
“I was very honored, very honored when I heard that President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton were coming today,” Trump said at the time.
The first tradition of the lunch dates back to a lunch the Senate Preparatory Committee hosted in 1897 for President William McKinley and guests at the Capitol, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), which hosts the lunch.
In 1953, the JCCIC began hosting a luncheon for the incoming president and vice president and their guests. Politicians often give speeches and praise the new administration.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Source link
