Three ways Democrats are breaking with tradition

The very first American presidential inauguration, that of George Washington in 1789, gave rise to traditions that are still observed almost today, such as the oath of office and the inaugural address.

Four years ago, conventions observed for generations were broken. Republican Donald Trump became the first former president in more than 150 years not to swear in his successor, despite being angry over the outcome of an election he falsely claimed to have won.

Fast forward to 2025, and Trump will ceremonially return to the White House on January 20 – a date enshrined in the US Constitution.

Democrats this time contrasted the orderly transfer of power with the violence and dysfunction of four years ago, during the Capitol riot. But to a lesser extent, they too break with tradition.

It was announced this week that former first lady Michelle Obama will not join her husband, Barack, at the 47th president’s inauguration on Monday.

On Thursday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would ignore it as well. Other Democrats are also expected to avoid the ceremony, although they have not yet organized a formal boycott as they did for Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.

No reason was given in the brief statement from Obama’s office. The announcement comes just days after Mrs Obama failed to attend the funeral of another former US president, Jimmy Carter, where her husband was seen chatting with Trump.

Other living former first ladies have attended Carter’s funeral – and Mrs. Obama has been present for the other two inaugurations since her husband left office, including Trump’s first swearing-in in 2017. She said more late that she had not appreciated this opportunity, citing a lack of diversity. on stage.

Trump also broke a 150-year-old tradition last time around — refusing to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration after the Republican baselessly claimed he lost because of massive voter fraud.

Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris did not extend the traditional invitation to her successor, JD Vance, to meet at the vice president’s residence in Washington DC, according to sources interviewed by the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Harris was reportedly consumed with other issues, including responding to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. There has been no official comment from either side.

This is another tradition that also appears to have been passed down more than four years ago, when Harris took over from Mike Pence.

In the chill following the 2020 election, there was no formal meeting between the two men, according to CBS.

Team Harris claimed no invitation was ever sent — something disputed by the Pence camp, which claimed a discreet offer was made.

With the White House just days away, it seems unlikely that Biden will maintain the modern convention of taking questions from reporters during an exit news conference.

This was done by George W. Bush and Obama, but not by Trump in the acrimony following the 2020 election.

Biden’s team has long insisted that he interacts regularly with the media — and could highlight the fact that he gave a major speech Wednesday night, or is scheduled to appear in a final interview with MSNBC on Thursday.

But during his tenure, the outgoing president has given fewer news conferences than any other in decades — with an annual average of just 9.4, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of Santa Barbara.