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Jan 6, 2021 - Politics & Policy

George W. Bush to attend Biden's inauguration, but Jimmy Carter won't

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Former Vice President Joe Biden presents George W. Bush and Laura Bush the 2018 Liberty Medal at The National Constitution Center on November 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

President-elect Joe Biden, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush before the couple received the 2018 Liberty Medal at The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2018. Photo: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

George W. Bush and Laura Bush will attend President-elect Joe Biden's swearing-in ceremony, but Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter will not attend the inauguration, spokespeople for the former first couples said Tuesday.

Why it matters: This is the first inaugural ceremony the Carters will have missed in over 40 years. Former President Carter, 96, has in recent years survived several falls and cancer, among other illnesses.

  • Per Bush's spokesperson Freddy Ford, this will be the eighth inauguration the 43rd president has attended, with "President Trump's being the most recent."
  • "[W]itnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old," he added.

Of note: Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration will occur under strict protocols to protect against COVID-19.

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