Former First Lady Michelle Obama Opens Up About Not Being Invited Back To The White For Portrait Unveiling: ‘That’s Tradition’

Former First Lady Michelle Obama revealed in a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon that she and her husband, Barack Obama, were not invited back to the White House for their portrait unveiling.

Historically, former presidents and first ladies go back to the White House during the next president’s term for the official portrait hanging.

On Wednesday, Obama appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” opening up about how Donald Trump broke with tradition by not having the Obamas back. When Fallon asked about returning, she admitted they weren’t invited. 

“That’s tradition. You do your official portraits,” Obama told the host. “The next president is supposed to invite you back to hang them. We were never invited back.” 

Trump succeeded President Barack Obama after winning the 2016 election. It wasn’t until Joe Biden became president that the Obamas returned to the White House. Last year, Biden welcomed the couple back to their former home for a portrait-hanging ceremony. It had been five years.

“It was really a beautiful experience,” Obama remembered.

Trump recently made history again, this time becoming the first president to be arrested and indicted. He was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty to all of the charges at his arraignment earlier this month.