First Lady Michelle Obama complained that despite her willingness to assist in a smooth transition for the Trump administration, she felt that Republicans in Washington D.C. never gave her husband a chance.
“[N]o matter how we felt going into it, it is important for the health of this nation that we support the commander-in-chief,” she said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS. “Wasn’t done when my husband took office.”
The First Lady blamed Republicans for not backing Obama, accusing them of hurting the country.
“[T]here were people who did not support his presidency,” Obama recalled. “There were people in Congress. There were leaders in Congress who did not support his presidency, which was not something that was good for the country. It was good for politics, but it wasn’t good for the country. And that wasn’t the right way to approach it.”
Obama reminded the country that the pair came into office when it was on the “brink of collapse.” She said it was clear that Americans needed more levity from their leaders.
“Americans needed a little joy and we were the joy-masters,” she said.
The First Lady said she was used to brushing off bad news and challenges during her time at the White House.
“I think the way I handle things and, you know, I think as women do it, we as black women better be able to do it, because there’s so much that comes at us all the time, in every day, in subtle ways that could tear your soul apart if you let it,” she said. “But my mother always taught me, ‘Girl, you gotta keep it moving, you know? You gotta brush it off.’ So I think I’ve grown up doing that.”