Presidents Who Skipped Their Successor's Inauguration: A DC History
From John Adams to Donald Trump, these presidents refused to attend their successor's inauguration. WDCM breaks down every presidential no-show in U.S. history.
In brief
At least four U.S. presidents have skipped their successor's inauguration: John Adams in 1801, John Quincy Adams in 1829, Andrew Johnson in 1869, and Donald Trump in 2021. Each absence reflected personal bitterness, electoral humiliation, or outright contempt for the incoming administration — making these no-shows among the most revealing moments in American political history.
Key Takeaways
Four presidents — John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump — skipped their successors' inaugurations, according to the White House Historical Association.
Every absence followed a contentious electoral loss or a severe breakdown in the relationship between outgoing and incoming presidents.
The modern tradition of the outgoing president riding with the president-elect to the Capitol only solidified in the 20th century, making earlier absences less scandalous by contemporary standards.
Trump's 2021 no-show was the first in 152 years, breaking a streak that stretched from Ulysses S. Grant's 1869 inauguration through Barack Obama's 2009 ceremony.
These absences matter beyond symbolism — they signal to the country, and to history, that the transfer of power was contested or unwanted by the departing occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
John Adams Leaves Before Dawn: The Original Presidential Snub
The first presidential no-show set a dramatic precedent. John Adams, the second president of the United States, slipped out of Washington in a pre-dawn coach on March 4, 1801, rather than witness Thomas Jefferson take the oath of office at the still-unfinished Capitol. The two men had been close allies during the Revolution and the founding era — co-authors, in spirit, of American democracy. By 1800, they were political enemies.
The election of 1800 was one of the nastiest in American history. Federalists called Jefferson an atheist and a Jacobin. Jefferson's camp portrayed Adams as a monarchist. When Jefferson won, Adams was devastated. According to the White House Historical Association, Adams' early departure was driven by grief over the death of his son Charles Adams just months earlier, combined with profound political humiliation. Whether personal or political — likely both — Adams was gone before the new president spoke a word.
The two men would not reconcile for more than a decade, eventually exchanging a remarkable series of letters that became one of the great correspondences in American intellectual history. They died on the same day: July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
For DC readers tracking political dynasties and bitter rivalries, this founding-era feud echoes in every contentious transition that followed. See our full breakdown of DC's political fault lines for deeper context on how personal animosity shapes institutional behavior.
John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson: Repeating the Pattern
John Quincy Adams followed his father's example in 1829, refusing to attend Andrew Jackson's inauguration. The animosity between the two men was volcanic. Adams believed Jackson's supporters had smeared his wife, Louisa Adams, and had driven his own father, John Adams, to an early grave through political stress. Jackson's camp returned the contempt in full. When Jackson won the 1828 election decisively, Adams didn't wait around for the ceremony. He left the White House before inauguration day and retreated to his family home in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Adams would return to Washington — not as president, but as a congressman from Massachusetts, a remarkable second act that allowed him to fight against the expansion of slavery on the House floor until his death in 1848. His grudging exit from the executive mansion, however, remained one of the more graceless departures in presidential history.
Andrew Johnson's 1869 absence is perhaps the most understandable of the four. Johnson had survived impeachment by a single Senate vote, spent his entire presidency at war with Congress, and held Ulysses S. Grant in personal contempt. Rather than ride alongside Grant to the Capitol on March 4, 1869, Johnson spent inauguration morning signing last-minute documents in the White House and then quietly departed. According to records cited by the U.S. House of Representatives History, Art & Archives, the Cabinet held a brief farewell with Johnson before he left — a subdued ending to one of the most turbulent presidencies in American history.
Washington runs on ritual. The inauguration ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol — the swearing-in, the address, the shared limousine ride down Pennsylvania Avenue — isn't just pageantry. It's constitutional theater designed to demonstrate that power transfers peacefully, that the republic holds, that yesterday's opponent becomes today's well-wisher. When that ritual breaks down, the city notices. The country notices. History records it.
Inside the Beltway, every absence echoes. Lobbyists, Hill staffers, and West Wing veterans read these gestures as signals about the incoming administration's legitimacy in the eyes of the departing one. That's not a small thing in a city where perception and power are nearly the same currency. Check our DC Power Players Index for profiles of figures who understand exactly how these symbolic moments translate into real political capital.
Donald Trump in 2021: The First No-Show in 152 Years
On January 20, 2021, Donald Trump flew from the White House to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, held a farewell ceremony with supporters, and departed for Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida — all before Joe Biden placed his hand on the Bible at the Capitol. Trump became the first president in 152 years to skip his successor's inauguration, ending a streak of gracious (or at least performative) transitions that had held since Grant's 1869 swearing-in.
Trump's absence followed his refusal to concede the 2020 election, his promotion of false claims about widespread voter fraud, and the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters — an event that resulted in his second impeachment. According to NPR, Trump was the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached twice, and the first to skip the inauguration since Johnson himself. The parallel was not lost on historians.
Biden's inauguration proceeded without the traditional handoff. Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all attended, standing as living proof that partisan rivals can share the same Capitol steps. Trump's empty seat beside them would have been the most powerful image of the day. His absence became the image instead.
Four absences across 230-plus years of presidential inaugurations might seem like a small number. But the pattern they form is instructive. Every no-show followed either a crushing electoral defeat or a complete breakdown in the personal relationship between outgoing and incoming president. None of the four men who skipped left office on their own terms. All four departed under political duress.
That's not a coincidence. The inauguration is specifically designed for the loser — it asks the defeated party to publicly affirm the legitimacy of the winner, to smile on the steps of the Capitol, to hand over the keys and shake hands. Most presidents have done it, even the ones who lost bitterly. Richard Nixon attended Jimmy Carter's inauguration after resigning in disgrace. Herbert Hoover sat beside Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 despite their mutual antipathy. George H.W. Bush rode with Bill Clinton in 1993 with visible graciousness after a bruising campaign.
The four who couldn't — or wouldn't — do it tell us something about the limits of institutional loyalty when personal pride and political survival are on the line. For a city built on institutions, that's the most Washington story there is. Explore how these dynamics shape today's power structures in our DC Power Index 2025.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which presidents skipped their successor's inauguration?
Four presidents have skipped their successor's inauguration: John Adams (1801), John Quincy Adams (1829), Andrew Johnson (1869), and Donald Trump (2021), according to the White House Historical Association.
Why did Donald Trump skip Joe Biden's inauguration?
Donald Trump skipped Joe Biden's January 20, 2021 inauguration following his refusal to concede the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Trump flew to Mar-a-Lago in Florida before the ceremony began, becoming the first president to skip the inauguration in 152 years.
Why did John Adams skip Thomas Jefferson's inauguration in 1801?
John Adams left Washington before dawn on March 4, 1801, driven by a combination of personal grief — his son Charles Adams had recently died — and bitter political humiliation after losing the 1800 election to Jefferson, his former ally turned fierce rival.
Is it illegal or unconstitutional to skip the inauguration?
No. There is no legal or constitutional requirement for the outgoing president to attend the inauguration. The ceremony itself transfers power regardless of who is present. Skipping is a breach of tradition and political norms, not of law.
Did Andrew Johnson attend Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration?
No. Andrew Johnson, who had survived impeachment by a single Senate vote and held Grant in personal contempt, spent inauguration morning signing final documents at the White House and departed without attending the March 4, 1869 ceremony.
How many presidents have attended their successor's inauguration despite losing bitterly?
The majority of defeated presidents have attended, including Richard Nixon (1977, Carter's inauguration), Herbert Hoover (1933, FDR's inauguration), and George H.W. Bush (1993, Clinton's inauguration) — all of whom lost under difficult or humiliating circumstances but upheld the tradition nonetheless.
What to Watch Next: With the 2024 election now fully in the rearview mirror and the next presidential cycle beginning to take shape, Washington's political class is already gaming out what 2028 looks like — and whether the norms of transition, tested so severely in 2021, will hold. Follow Power Moves and our DC Politics Guide 2026 for ongoing coverage as the next chapter of American political history writes itself from Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill.
The bottom line: Presidential inauguration no-shows are rare — only four in American history — but each one marks a genuine rupture in democratic tradition. From John Adams slipping out of Washington before dawn in 1801 to Donald Trump's departure from Joint Base Andrews in 2021, these absences reveal what happens when the institutions of American democracy collide with the very human emotions of defeat, pride, and contempt. Washington has survived every one of them. The question historians and political observers keep asking is whether survival alone is enough.
Reporting drawn from: White House Historical Association. Washington DC Magazine provides original analysis, DC-specific context, and editorial perspective beyond the source material.This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by WDCM editorial staff. Washington DC Magazine is committed to accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity. If you believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact editor@washingtondcmagazine.com.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
