Longtime House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Joins Michelle Obama in Saying She Will Not Attend Trump's Inauguration

Pelosi and Trump have had a tense relationship for several years

Travis P Ball/Getty; James Devaney/GC Images Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President-elect Donald Trump

Travis P Ball/Getty; James Devaney/GC Images

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President-elect Donald Trump

Nancy Pelosi will not attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

The longtime House speaker, 84, plans to skip Trump's swearing-in ceremony, her spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE. The announcement, first reported by ABC News, makes Pelosi the second major Democratic figure to bow out of the occasion, after former first lady Michelle Obama.

Pelosi's spokesperson did not provide insight into Pelosi's reasons for missing the event, though she no longer has a formal leadership role.

PEOPLE is seeking information about whether Congress' current Democratic leaders — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — plan to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

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Related: Donald Trump Recreates His Mug Shot in New Official White House Portrait

Pelosi, who served as House speaker for a total of eight years, attended Trump's first swearing-in. The 2017 inauguration was the tenth of 11 she's attended in her life, starting with John. F Kennedy's in 1961, ABC reported.

Related: Nancy Pelosi Greets Jack Schlossberg at the DNC, Mirroring Throwback 1950s Moment with His Grandfather JFK

Mark Wilson/Getty Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rips up President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech

Mark Wilson/Getty

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rips up President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech

The former speaker has had a tense relationship with Trump in the past. Notably after his 2020 State of the Union, Pelosi — seated behind him while he delivered his address — ripped up a copy of the speech in full view of cameras in the room.

"It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative," she told reporters afterwards. "It was such a dirty speech."

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At the time, Trump was being impeached over his Ukraine scandal, and Pelosi's reaction was reflective of the tension between the then-president and House Democrats.

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Their volatile relationship has persisted, even after Trump left the White House in 2021 and after Pelosi stepped down as the Democratic House leader in 2023. Recently, in his final campaign rally before the 2024 election, Trump began to hurl insults her way before stopping himself.

“She’s an evil, sick, crazy b-,” he said, pausing. "It starts with a B, but I won't say it. I want to say it."

Mark Wilson/Getty  Nancy Pelosi, Mike Pence and Donald Trump sit in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, 2018

Mark Wilson/Getty

Nancy Pelosi, Mike Pence and Donald Trump sit in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, 2018

News of Pelosi not attending Trump's inauguration comes days after Michelle Obama announced her same intention.

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Related: Michelle Obama Is 'Not One to Pretend for Protocol's Sake,' Source Says About Her Skipping Trump's Inauguration (Exclusive)

"There's no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She's not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol's sake," a source close to the former first lady told PEOPLE about her decision. "Michelle doesn't do anything because it's expected or it's protocol or it's tradition."

Read the original article on People