While Trump missed Biden’s inauguration, he’s not the first president to do so.
Washington, D.C.: President Biden recently claimed that Trump was the only president to skip his successor’s inauguration. But that’s not quite right. Several presidents have done the same over the years.
In a chat with MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas, Biden was asked if he would attend Trump’s inauguration. He confidently replied that he would, stating that only one president had ever missed such an event.
But here’s the scoop: Trump did skip Biden’s inauguration in 2021, but he wasn’t the first. Four other presidents have also missed their successors’ ceremonies. Interestingly, Trump was the first to do so in over 150 years.
John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and Andrew Johnson all skipped their successors’ inaugurations. Woodrow Wilson didn’t attend Warren G. Harding’s inauguration either, but he was in the Capitol building during the ceremony due to health issues.
Traditionally, outgoing presidents attend the next president’s inauguration. This custom started back in 1837 when Andrew Jackson showed up for Martin Van Buren’s big day.
Adams was the first to miss a successor’s inauguration in 1801, likely to avoid any potential conflict between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. He wasn’t even formally invited by Jefferson.
John Quincy Adams also boycotted Andrew Jackson’s inauguration in 1829. As for Martin Van Buren, it’s unclear why he skipped William Henry Harrison’s inauguration in 1841, especially since they seemed to get along well.
Andrew Johnson, the first impeached president, missed Ulysses S. Grant’s inauguration in 1869. The two had a pretty rocky relationship, and Grant even refused to share a carriage with Johnson.
The VERIFY team is here to help you sort out fact from fiction. If you want to stay updated, consider subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media!
