Up until Thursday, it was unclear whether any former presidents would attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20, 2017.
But according to a new Politico report, former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, has sent an RSVP to the event. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not decide on attending until after the new year.
Former President George H.W. Bush, meanwhile, will not attend the inauguration, his spokesman said, because of his advanced age—92 years old.
“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,” Politico reported.
Freddy Ford, a spokesman for George. W. Bush, told the U.S. politics website that he won’t announce whether he'll attend until next year. A “source familiar with the matter said Bush is also still weighing whether to show up,” the report stated.
None of the former Republican presidents endorsed Trump, while Carter publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton. During the Republican primary, Trump went after and heavily criticized fellow candidate Jeb Bush, the brother of George W. and son of George H.W. Bush. It’s unclear who the Bushes voted for on Nov. 8, but there were reports saying that George W. Bush left the ballot blank.
