Michelle Obama has revealed the one Trump-era policy that “keeps her up at night”. The former First Lady opened up about Trump’s second term during a wide-ranging conversation on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, where she laid bare her anxieties, frustrations, and a firm refusal to compromise on personal peace. “In this current climate, for me it’s what’s happening to immigrants,” Obama said. “It’s not the fear for myself anymore. I drive around in a four-car motorcade with a police escort. I’m Michelle Obama.” However, the ex-FLOTUS did admit that her concerns do remain close to home, adding: “I do still worry about my daughters in the world, even though they are somewhat recognizable.”
Obama, who is now 61, stated that she is concerned about immigrants and people of color in America, pointing to “bias,” “racism,” and “ignorance” that she believes are unchecked in the current political environment. Obama also addressed concerns about whether migrants are receiving due process under the current administration, implying a move away from judicial fairness: “Now that we have leadership that is, sort of, indiscriminately determining who belongs and who doesn’t,” she said, “we know that those decisions aren’t being made with courts and with due process.”
Her brother Craig Robinson joined her on the podcast, sharing a painful childhood story about being accused of stealing a new bike by a Black police officer. Michelle said she sees echoes of the same bias manifesting in immigration enforcement, drawing a comparison to discrimination in the current era.
Earlier this month, her husband, former President Barack Obama, also offered his thoughts on the status of American politics in a speech at Hamilton College, this time without mentioning Trump.
“Look, I don’t think what we just witnessed in terms of economic policy and tariffs is going to be good for America, but that’s a specific policy,” he said. The federal government threatening universities is what worries me the most if they
The thought that a White House might tell law firms, “If you represent parties that we don’t like, we’re going to pull all our business or bar you from representing people effectively,” he added, “is what worries me the most.” Such conduct is counter to the fundamental agreement that we Americans have.
Michelle’s Absence from Trump’s Inauguration
After missing the burial of former President Jimmy Carter earlier that month, Michelle finally gave an explanation for her absence from Trump’s 2025 inauguration on her own podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson. This fueled a lot of rumors.
She stated bluntly, “It started with not having anything to wear. I travel with clothes in case something pops off, and I walk around with the right dress. So 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.” Her decision caused criticism, with some speculating that it was a reflection of deeper political rifts or even marital tension with Barack Obama, who attended both events by himself.
The former First Lady made it apparent that her absence was entirely related to self-care and had nothing to do with controversy. She revealed, “I’m at this point in my life where I have to define my life on my terms for the first time.” “So what are those terms, and going to therapy just to work all that out?”
She also mentioned that she is currently teaching “the art of saying no” to her daughters, Sasha and Malia.
“I want them to start practicing now the art of saying no, because I see it in them — pleasing, excelling, not wanting to take anything for granted, always showing gratitude,” she said. “Feeling like they’re enough right now. It’s a habit. You have to develop that muscle.
Even though Michelle Obama was present at Trump’s inauguration in 2020, she has since made her position clear, calling Trump “a predator found liable for sexual abuse,” “a convicted felon, a known slumlord,” according to The Independent.