Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not attend President-elect Donald Trump's traditional inaugural luncheon.
Obama received an invitation but declined to attend, a source familiar with the matter said. Clinton was also invited but does not plan to attend, according to a second source familiar with the matter, while Bush's office said it did not pursue an invitation to the lunch.
Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton also received an invitation to the opening luncheon but will not attend, a third source familiar with the matter said.
A spokesperson for Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the absences.
However, according to their teams, all three former presidents will attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony earlier in the day. According to the Obamas' office, the former first ladies will also attend the swearing-in ceremony, except for Michelle Obama. No reason was given. Michelle Obama also did not attend former President Jimmy Carter's funeral last week, making her the only absence among all living current and former presidents and first ladies.
Inauguration Day is one of the few occasions when all former living presidents usually gather to usher in the next administration. However, Trump declined to attend President Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration.
None of the living former presidents supported Trump's candidacy. Bush has not expressed his support, and Obama and Clinton have actively campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Clintons attended the luncheon in 2017 after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. At lunch he cheered her to a standing ovation.
“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 tradition of the inaugural luncheon stems from a luncheon that the Senate Arrangements Committee hosted for President William McKinley and guests at the Capitol in 1897, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), which is hosting the luncheon.
In 1953, the JCCIC began hosting the luncheon for the incoming president and vice president and their guests. Politicians usually make speeches and toast the new government.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
