Obama escorts former First Lady Nancy Reagan in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in 2009. State Department file photo
Obama is Skipping Nancy Reagan’s Funeral to Attend SXSW
Obama is the keynote speaker at the conference and will be interviewed on stage by the Texas Tribune's editor-in-chief.
The funeral of former first lady Nancy Reagan is taking place Friday, March 11 in Simi Valley, California. While Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama will be in attendance to pay their respects, US president Barack Obama will instead be at South by Southwest, the annual music-film-tech confab held in Austin, Texas.
Obama is the keynote speaker at the conference and will be interviewed on stage by Evan Smith, editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune.
His absence at Reagan’s funeral, taking place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, isn’t out of the ordinary. According to the New York Post, US presidents have not attended the funerals of former first ladies in recent decades.
But that’s not stopping Fox News from calling it a “presidential snub.” The outlet also noted that Obama did not attend the funeral of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia in February. (He paid his respects with the first lady the day before.)
In a statement on March 6, the Obamas praised Reagan for “redefin[ing] the role” of the first lady. Obama also signed a proclamation to lower the flags at all federal government buildings on March 7 “as a mark of respect.”