Former First lady Michelle Obama had a serious reaction to President Donald Trump's decision to tear down the century-old East Wing of the White House for a ballroom, saying it symbolized “a loss for us as a nation.”
In an interview Tuesday with Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast, Obama described how it felt to see the destruction of it as what it represented to the nation, rather than her personal ties to the historic space, according to The Washington Post.
“I think in my body, I felt confusion because I’m like, who are we? What do we value? And who decides that?” Obama said. “That’s the thing that’s going through my head a lot lately. Who are we? What are the rules? Because I’m confused by what are our norms and our mores — not the laws — but how do we live together? That’s the part of it that hurts.”
“I think I felt a loss for us as a nation, but personally, you know … that’s not our house. That’s the people’s house,” she explained.
Obama has started speaking out about her unease over the second Trump presidency in interviews. In January, she declined attending Trump's second inauguration and has voiced her concerns over Trump's aggressive immigration policies and the president's view of how to govern.
This month she said she would not run for president.
“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” Obama said in a conversation with actor Tracee Ellis Ross while she promoted her new book "The Look" at an event in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running ‘cause you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman,” Obama said. “We got a lot of growing up to do and there’s still … a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman and we saw it.”