Michelle Obama Shares Why Skipping Inauguration Was ‘Right’
Michelle Obama Shares She Skipped The 2025 Inauguration To Build This Surprising Muscle
The headlines were endless, and rumors and speculation ran rampant when our forever First Lady Michelle Obama decided to skip Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration and leave her husband, former President Barack Obama to attend the event solo.
Now, three months later, Obama has finally revealed what was behind her decision and why she knew that not attending was an act that she knew was “right” for her.
During the April 23 episode of her joint podcast with her brother, IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, the former First Lady spoke about the inauguration with guest, Taraji P. Henson.
“People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason; they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” Obama said of the gossip that she and the former president were headed for divorce due to the couple not attending a few events together.
RELATED CONTENT: Michelle Obama Shuts Down Divorce Rumors After Missing Barack’s Recent Public Events
“It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right, but do the things that was right for me, that was a hard thing for me to do,” she continued.
Obama, 61, who is well-known for her “go high” mantra, further explained that this was an instance where she stood firm in her convictions and didn’t want to do the right thing, but instead stand on her principles.
“It started with not having anything to wear,” she said. “I was like, if I’m not going to do this thing, I got to tell my team, I don’t even want to have a dress ready, right? Because it’s so easy to just say, let me do the right thing.”
She continued, noting that saying no is not something that comes easily for everyone, and sometimes it takes building the strength to do it. “It’s a muscle that you have to build,” Obama shared. “And I think we suffered, because it’s almost like we started training late in life to build that muscle, right? I am just now starting to build it.”
“I want our daughters, I want the young women out there… I want my girls to start practicing different strategies for saying no,” she added.
“After all that I’ve done in this world, if I am still showing them that I have to keep—I still have to show people that I love my country, that I’m doing the right thing, that I am always setting, going high all the time, even in the face of a lot of hypocrisy and contradiction, all I’m doing is keeping that crazy bar that our mothers and grandmothers set for us,” Obama continued.
Elsewhere during the conversation, she revealed that currently being in therapy has helped her deal with the intense pressure and scrutiny she and her family received during their time in the White House.
“We made it through. We got out alive,” Obama said. “I hope we made the country proud. My girls, thank God, are whole. But what happened to me?”
“Going through therapy is getting me to look at the fact that maybe, maybe finally I’m good enough,” she shared.
Despite the incessant pleas of many, Obama has repeatedly (and firmly) stated that she has no intentions or desires to run for president, and knowing how toxic politics can be, especially for Black people in office, we can’t say that we blame her at all.
RELATED CONTENT: Michelle Obama Is Skipping Donald Trump’s Inauguration — And We Don’t Blame Her
