Some notable figures decided to give the inauguration a miss. Barack Obama attended without his wife Michelle, who announced last week that she would not be there, despite attending Trump’s first swearing-in in 2017. Her office did not provide an explanation.
Also missing was Karen Pence, the wife of former Vice President Mike Pence, with whom Trump had a falling out over Pence’s refusal to overturn the 2020 election results.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a long-time Democratic leader and Trump adversary, also did not attend, having recently undergone hip replacement surgery.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading figure in the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, announced she would skip the inauguration in a widely-shared video on Instagram on Sunday.
