President Obama mourned the death of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres on Wednesday in his signature fashion: By posting a photo of himself on social media.
Obama leaves for Israel on Thursday to attend Peres’s funeral.
Pres & Mrs Obama depart this afternoon for Israel to attend tomorrow's funeral for the Shimon Peres. They head back to DC later in the day.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) September 29, 2016
Throughout his presidency, Obama hasn’t attended many high-profile funerals, especially if the deceased is a prominent conservative. Here are a few of the most notable political figures whose funerals Obama skipped.
Antonin Scalia
The Supreme Court Justice, a staunch conservative who ruled against the Obama administration on many occasions, died suddenly in February. Vice President Joe Biden attended the funeral; Obama did not. By contrast, when former Chief Justice William Rehnquist passed away in 2005, then-President George W. Bush not only attended the funeral, he also delivered a eulogy.
Margaret Thatcher
When the Iron Lady, one the most iconic female leaders in modern history, passed away in April 2013, the White House released a two-paragraph statement, and sent a government representative to the funeral.
Ariel Sharon
Shimon Peres was a liberal Israeli politician, but former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was a conservative. Sharon’s death in 2014 warranted a one-paragraph statement from the White House. Vice President Biden and U.S. government representative attended the funeral, but not the president.
Obama has, however, attended the funerals of a number of significantly less prominent politicians who were members of the Democratic Party, such as:
- Former House Speaker Tom Foley
- Former Senator Daniel Inouye
- Former Senator (and ex-KKK member) Robert Byrd
- Former Senator Ted Kennedy
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