Obama To Skip Nancy Reagan’s Funeral, Will Appear At SXSW Conference In Texas Instead

Matt Vespa | March 09, 2016 10:30 AM

Over the weekend, former first lady Nancy Reagan passed away at the age of 94. First Lady Michelle Obama (and Hillary Clinton) will attend the funeral, but President Obama will be in Texas for the SXSW conference. We found this out during the March 7 press briefing with Josh Earnest:

Well, it’s my understanding that the -- well, let me start by saying that you saw the written comments from the President and First Lady that we issued yesterday in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of Mrs. Reagan’s passing. And I think many of you had the opportunity to see and hear from the President in the Roosevelt Room today where he talked about her legacy and her memory.

So obviously, I think that’s an indication that Mrs. Reagan’s family is on the minds of everybody here at the White House, including the President and First Lady, as we know they mourn the loss of Mrs. Reagan.

My understanding is that the planning for her funeral arrangements are still underway. So once those arrangements are settled and announced, we’ll be able to begin working on determining who from the White House would represent the administration at her funeral. So we’ll keep you posted on that

Mediaite reported that Obama would be part of some conversation about “civic engagement,” according to SXSW’s website:

On Friday, March 11 at 2:30pm at Dell Hall at The Long Center, President Obama will sit down with Evan Smith, CEO / Editor in Chief of The Texas Tribune, for a conversation about civic engagement in the 21st Century before an audience of creators, early adopters and entrepreneurs who are defining the future of our connected lives. The President will call on the audience to apply their ideas and talents to make technology work for us – especially when it comes to tackling big challenges like increasing participation in the political process and fighting climate change.