Mrs Obama’s convention speech, which saw her abandon the Obama mantra “when they go low, we go high,” was interpreted as a major victory for Ms Harris’s presidential campaign. In the room, the reception from the crowd was even greater than for her husband.

But she has firmly rejected calls from Democrats to run for president herself in 2028, despite polling that shows she would be the most popular primary contender on the ticket.

A statement from the couple on the day after Mr Trump’s election victory said the result was “obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues”. It did not name Mr Trump specifically.

‘Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s protocol’

Mrs Obama has since released a book, Overcoming, which she describes as a “workbook designed to help you get through the challenging periods life throws our way”.

Her absence from the inauguration comes after both Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, declined to attend Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in 2021, while denying the result of the election.

A source close to Mrs Obama told People magazine that she had decided to skip the ceremony to avoid paying homage to Mr Trump’s win.

“She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” the source said. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”