Nancy Pelosi, former House Speaker and the queen of empty rhetoric, has decided to play hooky from the thrilling spectacle of Donald Trump’s inauguration. This bold move has the faintest whiff of political theater, a classic Pelosi maneuver that makes one wonder if she mistook the occasion for a political retreat instead of a historic ceremony.
Despite Pelosi’s spokesperson not offering any official reasons for her glaring absence from the swearing-in, Pelosi has a knack for stirring the pot. Recently, she claimed that Trump was essentially a DJ, calling out to insurrectionists with a playlist of violent encouragement back on January 6, 2021. After that illustrious claim, she lamented that her husband, Paul Pelosi, fell victim to this ‘rhetoric.’ The irony here is thick enough to cut with a knife, especially since she was on the very same stage, approving the certification of the election results just 24 hours prior. Nothing like a little bipartisan hypocrisy to spice things up.
Longtime House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Joins Michelle Obama in Saying She Will Not Attend Trump's Inauguration https://t.co/gXRaXkimPY
— People (@people) January 16, 2025
Adding to Pelosi’s drama, it was reported that on a December jaunt to Luxembourg, she took a tumble that led to a hip replacement surgery. Did she also lose her sense of timing? It might be worth noting that she was spotted getting around with a walker on the House floor during the certification of those election results. Presumably, the same walker couldn’t support her at Trump’s inauguration—after all, nothing says “I stand firm in my convictions” like dodging a pomp-filled celebration from the sidelines.
Notably, this marks the 12th inauguration that Pelosi has opted out of, although some might argue that she simply couldn’t resist the pull of the spotlight during the drama-filled life of the Democratic Party. Her history of attendance includes the splashy event of John F. Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony when she was just a bright-eyed high school student. Since then, her appearances have become increasingly strategic, marked more by her desire to generate headlines than to partake in national unity.
While Pelosi twiddles her thumbs, she won’t be the only notable absentee. Former first lady Michelle Obama has also decided to ghost this event. Meanwhile, Barack Obama will stroll down memory lane and show up, possibly reminiscing about when his policies were all the rage. One can only imagine the conversations that might happen if these two comic antagonists crossed paths at a non-event like Trump’s inauguration. It seems the seasoned democrats are waving a collective white flag as they fine-tune their political absence act, reminding everyone that for them, it’s always about the show, even if they choose not to be in the audience.