On Saturday, some of the country’s most prominent political leaders gathered in Houston to mourn the death of former first lady Barbara Bush; however, there was one noticeable absence: Donald Trump.
Before Barbara’s funeral, the White House told the BBC that Trump would not attend the event to “avoid disruptions due to added security, and out of respect for the Bush Family.”
According to the U.K. Mirror, Trump instead spent Saturday morning at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he delivered his usual Twitter rant in addition to playing a round of golf. Perhaps even more predictable is that POTUS reportedly watched the funeral service on TV, while his wife, Melania, was there to rep the Trumps.
Though Trump’s absence did raise a few eyebrows, it’s not uncommon for a sitting president to skip the funerals of former first ladies. Barack Obama, who was at Barbara’s funeral alongside Michelle Obama, did not attend Betty Ford’s in 2011 or Nancy Reagan’s in 2016. Bill Clinton, who was also at Saturday’s service with Hillary Clinton, skipped Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ 1994 funeral, as well. In fact, the last sitting president to attend a former first lady’s funeral was John F. Kennedy, who appeared at Eleanor Roosevelt’s 1962 service.
Barbara was the wife of 41st president George H.W. Bush and the mother of the 43rd president, George W. Bush. She died Tuesday at the age of 92.
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