Michelle Obama Reflects on Emotional White House Farewell and Life After Presidency
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When Barack Obama handed over the presidency to Donald Trump in 2017, the transition was an emotional moment for his wife, Michelle Obama. While she tried to maintain composure in public, she later revealed that her tears were not about Trump’s victory but something more personal.
“I didn’t want to have tears in my eyes because people would swear I was crying because of the new president,” Michelle clarified, according to USA Today. Instead, her emotions stemmed from saying goodbye to the White House staff, who had become like family during the Obamas’ eight years in office. These staff members played a significant role in the Obamas’ lives, helping to raise their daughters, Sasha and Malia.
During her The Light Podcast, Michelle admitted it was also difficult to watch Trump, whose values she felt clashed with their own, take the stage. “To sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display. There was no color on that stage, there was no reflection of the broader sense of America,” she said, as reported by The Guardian.
Michelle held back her tears until after they departed the Capitol. “You take your last flight off, [and] when those doors shut, I cried for 30 minutes straight, uncontrollably sobbing, because that’s how much we [had] been holding it together for eight years,” she shared. Despite the raw emotions, the Obamas ensured a peaceful transfer of power, though Michelle acknowledged her disappointment.
“Many people took pictures of me and they’re like, ‘You weren’t in a good mood?’ No, I was not! But you had to hold it together like you do for eight years.” Barack Obama also reflected on leaving the White House. In an interview with a BBC radio station, he expressed gratitude for Michelle’s support during his presidency.
“She had been my partner through that whole process,” he said while admitting he was “concerned about how the country moves forward,” according to PEOPLE. Life after the White House brought changes for the Obamas. Michelle joked about adjusting to a “normal” home with a doorbell—something they didn’t have in the Presidential Palace. “I have a door and a doorbell, and people trip out when I come to my door and open it,” she said.
Even their dogs, Bo and Sunny, were baffled by the sound, having never encountered one before. Now 60, Michelle looks back on those days with a mix of humor and reflection, embracing life beyond the White House while cherishing the memories they created.
