The Daily Populous Thursday January 16th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by nbcnews

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not attend President-elect Donald Trump's traditional inaugural lunch.

Obama received an invitation but declined to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. Clinton also was invited but does not plan to attend, according to a second source familiar with the matter, while Bush's office said it was not tracking an invitation to the luncheon.

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 spokesperson for Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the absences.

All three former presidents, however, will attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony earlier in the day, according to their teams. The former first ladies will also attend the swearing-in ceremony except for Michelle Obama, according to the Obamas’ office. No reason was provided. Michelle Obama also did not attend the funeral service last week for former President Jimmy Carter, making hers the only absence among all living current and former presidents and first ladies.

Inauguration Day is one of the only occasions when all former living presidents usually congregate to usher in the next administration. Trump, however, declined to attend President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021.

None of the living former presidents supported Trump's candidacy. Bush did not make an endorsement, and Obama and Clinton actively campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Clintons attended the luncheon in 2017 after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. During the luncheon, he encouraged a standing ovation for her.

"I was very honored, very, very honored when I heard that President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton was coming today,” Trump said at the time.

The inaugural luncheon tradition stems from a lunch the Senate Committee on Arrangements 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 luncheon.

In 1953, the JCCIC began hosting the luncheon for the incoming president and vice president and their guests. Politicians typically deliver speeches and toast the new administration.

Foreign-Repeat9813 on January 16th, 2025 at 04:13 UTC »

Instead of 3 prior presidents at the inauguration, we get our 3 new oligarch overlords, Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos. We're promised the three oligarchs will be seated together prominently on the platform. A poignant statement that they're in charge and that we the people are not.

President Joe Biden’s farewell address was spot on in warning of the oligarchy gripping the nation and threatening the future. Anyone who understands how money in politics works after Citizens United v. FEC knows Elon Musk has monetized the U.S. Presidency. Follow the money...

Musk spent approximately $277 million on the 2024 Donald Trump campaign. (Cite Elon Musk put $277 million into the election, The Washington Post, December 15, 2024) In October of 2024 Elon Musk’s fortune was estimated at $263 billion (Cite: Elon Musk in 2024: What to know about the world’s richest person, Bankrate, November 4, 2024) January 6, 2025, Musk’s fortune is estimated at $424.90 billion (Cite: Forbes, January 6, 2025) In a little over two months following the November 5, 2024, election, Musk’s fortune has increased by over $161.9 billion since Musk bought the presidency and literally moved into Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago

Oligarchs own the incoming administration and it's on full display.

iluvugoldenblue on January 16th, 2025 at 03:22 UTC »

Despite what he says about him, trump desperately wants to be liked by Obama.

SodaCanBob on January 16th, 2025 at 02:58 UTC »

> Obama received an invitation but declined to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. Clinton also was invited but does not plan to attend, according to a second source familiar with the matter, while Bush's office said that it was not tracking an invitation to the luncheon.

Lol, Bush didn't even get an invite?