Michelle Obama has long been outspoken about President Donald Trump and those who voted for him, and one of her latest takes on the group is not getting a great response.
The former First Lady was recently interviewed by writer and interviewer Sam Fragoso, who asked her a variety of questions about her life both during and after her White House years. While talking about the Trump administration, she commented on the Americans who ended up voting for the current president, warning his opponents not to shame them, implying they were “angry” and “confused” when they made their choice. The comment riled up some social media users, who later slammed her as “anti-American” on certain platforms. Read more about the situation below.
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Michelle Obama Calls Trump Voters 'Angry' During A New Podcast Interview
Since she and her husband, Barack Obama, ended their second term in the White House and left in 2017, one of the former First Lady's most significant projects has been her podcast, In My Opinion, which she hosts alongside her brother, Craig Robinson.
However, she recently switched roles and has been a guest on a handful of podcasts over the last few weeks, including Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, hosted by the filmmaker and award-winning podcaster. During their episode, which was released on May 18th, the pair talked about all things politics and how she felt the United States was in a "messy" place with "confused" people. It didn't take long for the conversation to shift towards the Trump administration. At one point, Michelle brought up the population of Americans who chose to vote for the current president, why Democratic or liberal voters shouldn't "pigeonhole" them, and what likely drove them to make their specific choice.
"I can't look some people in the face and tell them you have no right to be angry, or to do something that maybe is against your own interest," she began. "That's human nature...Many [of them] voted for my husband twice. And I know that that's how they feel. It's like, this isn't about anything other than, 'We need something different.' So, you can't just pigeonhole them and say, 'You just don't care, and you're racist,' or whatever you're thinking. This is an act of, 'I don't know what else to do.'"
As she continued, Michelle spoke about how, since there were so many Americans who seemingly turned to vote for President Trump because they weren't pleased with the state of the country or other candidates, she wished there were "more leaders that were figuring out how to do more for the middle class, for the working folks."
"Those are the folks who are drowning in this economy," she added. "It's not me anymore, but I know those folks, and they're good people, and they don't have a way out. And that makes for bad choices."
Social Media Users Slam Michelle's Comments
Though the best-selling author seemingly defended people who initially voted for President Trump during her podcast episode, feeling they didn't know where else to turn, there were a lot of social media users who didn't appreciate her take.
While there were numerous supporters who appreciated her take, as well as her advice not to automatically label Trump voters as "racist" and otherwise, on platforms like X, formerly Twitter, users began slamming Michelle. Some began accusing her of "lecturing" people, having fake sympathy for working-class people, and even being "anti-American" by making those statements about Trump voters in the new interview.
"Instead of accepting the will of the people, she offered up this patronizing take," wrote an angry X user. "Spare us the fake sympathy, Michelle Obama! Americans weren't confused or desperate in a way that needs your pity. They were fed up. Fed up with eight years of Obama-era policies...Keep the lectures and pity in Chicago."
One user slammed Michelle as "truly insulting and out of touch with real people," as another wrote her words were "anti-American."
"This is where I'm gonna disagree with her," added a fan.
