Former President George W. Bush has plans to travel to Washington, D.C, to attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration while former President Jimmy Carter will miss it.
A spokesman for Bush, Freddy Ford, announced on Twitter on Tuesday that Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, would be present for the ceremony on Jan. 20.
“President and Mrs. Bush look forward to returning to the Capitol for the swearing in of President Biden and Vice President Harris,” he wrote.
Ford added, “I believe this will be the eighth Inauguration they’ve had the privilege of attending — President Trump’s being the most recent — and witnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old.”
I believe this will be the eighth Inauguration they’ve had the privilege of attending – President Trump’s being the most recent- and witnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old.
— Freddy Ford 🆒 (@kyfredchicken) January 6, 2021
A spokeswoman for the Carter Center, Deanna Congileo, also revealed on Tuesday that Carter and his wife would not be traveling for the ceremony.
“President and Mrs. Carter will not travel to Washington for the inauguration but have sent their best wishes to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and look forward to a successful administration,” Congileo said in an email.
Carter turned 96 years old on Oct. 1 and is the oldest living president in U.S. history, as IJR previously reported.
He survived after being diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and suffering from a fall in 2019.
During the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Carter praised Biden in an audio message.
“Joe has the experience, character and decency to bring us together and restore America’s greatness,” Carter said.
He continued, “Joe is that kind of leader, and he is the right person for this moment in our nation’s history.”
Carter told Americans, Biden “must be our next president.”
Biden’s inaugural committee advised Americans to stay home and enjoy the ceremony from there amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as IJR previously reported. The inauguration will be largely virtual.
In December President Donald Trump was pressed on whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said during a Fox News interview.