Carter is only former president to RSVP for Trump’s inauguration
(Politico) – One month out, Jimmy Carter is the only former president to RSVP to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, while Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are putting off their decision until the new year.
The Clintons have been keeping a low profile since the election and have made no decisions about whether to attend, according to a person familiar with the planning. Angel Urena, a spokesman for Bill Clinton, declined to comment.
Bush’s spokesman, Freddy Ford, told POLITICO that the most recent Republican president will not announce whether he will attend until the new year, while a source familiar with the matter said Bush is also still weighing whether to show up. George W. Bush had tweeted out a statement of congratulations to Trump after the election, but neither he nor his father endorsed Trump, who often mocked his brother Jeb throughout the GOP primary.
George H.W. Bush has confirmed that he will not be at the inauguration, according to his spokesman, Jim McGrath, who cited the 41st president’s age, 92, as the reason why he will skip.
Carter, who endorsed Clinton, announced at his Sunday school class in Georgia earlier this month that he would attend the inauguration.
Following tradition, all former presidents are invited to attend the ceremony on Jan. 20 when Trump will be sworn in. But not all living presidents have consistently attended the inaugurations of their successors.
President Barack Obama in 2009 enjoyed the presence of all four living presidents— both Bushes, Carter and Clinton — at his first inauguration, but the Bushes skipped Obama’s second event in 2013, citing George H.W. Bush’s compromised health.
George W. Bush also did not have a full slate of former presidents at his second inauguration in 2005, as Gerald Ford skipped the event. He was 91, and died the next year.
For Trump’s inauguration, the Clinton camp has been especially divided over whether Bill Clinton should accept his invitation as a former president.
After a particularly personal and vicious presidential contest between Trump and Hillary Clinton, the former president has been leaning toward skipping the inauguration confab, according to a source in the Clinton camp.
Since the invitation is addressed only to the former president, and the former first lady attends as his guest, some have interpreted this caveat as an out for Hillary Clinton. There have been ongoing discussions over whether, as a former first lady, she should sit on the inauguration stage in front of the Capitol, where network cameras will pan to her every reaction.
Some in the Clinton camp have argued that they must grin and bear the celebration, even if their attendance angers some Democrats.
“It would be especially bad if the Clintons did not attend, because it seems like they do not support the transition of power,” said a top Clinton donor. “It would be petty, they have to suck it up. [Hillary] has to go as a former first lady. She will sit prominently.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s inaugural committee did not respond to a request for comment.
But it’s not just former presidents and rivals who are resisting Trump’s celebration. Even wrangling talent has been a struggle for his inauguration team, which has reached out to top pop acts to perform but haven’t been able to get much traction, according to entertainment industry insiders.
The New York Post reported that Italian Singer Andrea Bocelli turned down the gig because of a growing “Boycott Bocelli” movement that broke out on social media after he met with Trump last week. Inaugural committee chairman Thomas Barrack told CNBC that it was, in fact, Trump who turned down the Italian singer’s offer to perform.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Rockettes and America’s Got Talent singer Jackie Evancho are set to perform at the inauguration.
A source close to Trump shot down any suggestion that the inauguration would be a blow-out victory event for the reality-TV personality turned president. The insider said to look to the Republican National Convention for clues on the tenor of the Trump production.
“If you look at the convention, it was relatively low key,” said the source. “It’s going to be an elegant event.”
Meanwhile sources in the entertainment world say that Trump’s Treasury secretary pick, Steve Mnuchin, who previously worked as a film financier, and White House senior adviser Steve Bannon, who has worked as a Hollywood producer, have been reaching out to prominent players in the entertainment industry to fill out key seats on the stage with bold-faced names.
“They’re emailing old friends with invites,” said a top entertainment executive. “They want recognizable faces in key positions.”
The idea of being snubbed at his inauguration has apparently irked Trump. The president-elect tweeted Friday morning that he’s more interested in everyday Americans than glittery names. “The so-called ‘A’ list celebrities are all wanting tixs to the inauguration, but look what they did for Hillary, NOTHING. I want the PEOPLE!”
www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-inauguration-presidents-232937
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