As much as we would love to, the answer is no, Michelle Obama won’t run for office. On her first public appearance since leaving the White House in January, former FLOTUS Michelle Obama talked about her future plans, which don’t include a career in politics. But before you get mad, listen: it’s for the kids.
On Thursday, Obama spoke at the American Institute of Architects’ annual conference in Orlando and explained why she is not ever going to run for office. “Politics is tough, and it’s hard to a family,” she told the crowd. “I wouldn’t ask my children to do this again because, when you run for higher office, it’s not just you, it’s your whole family.”
She shared a bit of how the family has been adjusting to their post-White House life, and some of the causes she hopes to support. “One issue that I am excited about continuing to work on is … to help young girls get an education around the world,” she said, referencing the Let Girls Learn initiative she launched as First Lady. She also emphasized situations that need to be taken care of, like violence against women and access to healthcare.
Obama’s daughters were victims of racist attacks
Obama recalled how her husband’s political career hit her family, especially in the form of racist conservatives. As the first lady, she faced many racist attacks, but also did her daughters, as victims of cyberbullying and target of racist slurs.
Mrs. Obama also said that, while living in the White House, Sasha and Malia couldn’t even open their windows, as they were always in the public eye, or had to deal with protesters outside of the house. But she shared that the kids found the sound soothing, and helped them to sleep. Now, they live “normal” lives, and the family wants to keep it that way.
“So far, so good”, she said about their new life. “They had a sleepover on Inauguration Day because my girls are so normal, they’re like, ‘Well, eight girls are gonna be sleeping here because it’s our last time, and we want pizza and we want nuggets.’ And it’s like, really?”
Now she’s thankful for having a private life and enjoys the little things, like how she can answer her own door, for example. “You can imagine our two dogs, Bo and Sunny, who had never heard a doorbell in their life,” she said.
Former First Lady didn’t mention Trump during the speech
Michelle’s appearance came days after President Barack Obama’s first public speech since leaving office. Former POTUS spoke at a forum on Monday at the University of Chicago, sharing his experiences in politics with the students. But the man never mentioned President Donald Trump, and neither did Michelle.
However, she did talk about how the media has been covering his first 100 days in office. “It hasn’t been that long, really. It’s been less than 100 days. I think everybody’s counting 100 days. We’re counting, too.”
She also shared that she had to hold her feelings on Inauguration Day because she got emotional after saying goodbye to the White House and its workers. “I didn’t want to have tears in my eyes because people would swear I was crying because of the new president.”