President Donald Trump will not join first lady Melania Trump in attending the funeral services for Barbara Bush, the White House said in a statement, citing a desire to "avoid disruptions" stemming from the increased security presence and "out of respect for the Bush Family and friends."

"First Lady Melania Trump will attend the memorial service for Barbara Bush this Saturday on behalf of the First Family," a spokesperson confirmed Friday. "To avoid disruptions due to added security, and out of respect for the Bush Family and friends attending the service, President Trump will not attend."


Barbara Bush, mother of the 43rd president, George W. Bush, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as well as former first lady as wife of 41st President George H.W. Bush, passed away on Tuesday. She was 92 and had been reported by a family spokesman to be in failing health shortly before returning to her home for palliative care.

The former first lady will lay in repose in Houston on Friday in a ceremony open to the public. The Bush family and friends will then gather for a private funeral service on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Melania Trump, Stephanie Grisham, announced Wednesday the first lady would attend the services, expressing her desire to pay "respects to Barbara Bush and the entire family at the funeral on Saturday." Grisham and the White House initially declined to comment on whether the president or other Trump family members would attend.

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A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed they will attend the funeral, as will former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, according to Bush family representative.


In total, roughly 1,500 guests will attend the 90-minute service, the family announced Friday. The ceremony will feature eulogies from Jeb Bush and Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and historian who authored a 2015 New York Times best-selling biography on the first President Bush.

“Following the funeral service, the Bush family will proceed by motorcade through Memorial Park in Houston en route to the Bush Library in College Station for burial,“ a spokesperson said in a statement.

The president and the first lady responded to news of Barbara Bush's passing on Tuesday by hailing her as "an advocate of the American family" in a statement.

"Amongst her greatest achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection," the statement said.


They added: "She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well. The President and First Lady’s thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mrs. Bush."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said earlier this week that flags at Mar-a-Lago and Trump International Golf Club, where the president is currently staying, have been lowered to half-staff in honor of the former first lady.