The Michelle Obama And Donald Trump Feud Explained

There's no denying that President Donald Trump is a polarizing figure not just in America, but across the globe. The difference between red and blue has arguably never been so intense, and while there has been plenty of chatter in the past about which active politicians back him and which ones can't stand him, the attention was thrust upon another public figure in 2025: former first lady Michelle Obama. Michelle opted to skip Trump's second inauguration day, even though her husband, Barack Obama, was in attendance. Michelle's notable absence caused a stir, not least because she has gone back and forth with Trump for years. Michelle's issues with Trump go back to when he first entered the political sphere before winning the 2016 election. 

There's no doubt that there isn't any love lost between the billionaire businessman and the outspoken activist, but how did their mutual dislike for each other grow to such a point that Michelle would refuse to go to his inauguration, even though former presidents and first ladies are expected to attend, no matter their party allegiance? This complex and tangled web can be confusing, so stick with us as we explain the ins and outs of one of this ongoing political feud.

Long before she became a political figure, Michelle Obama graduated from Princeton University with a degree in sociology and African American studies and went on to become a Harvard-educated lawyer. A natural advocate, becoming first lady suited her down to the ground. A longtime champion of women's rights, she launched the Let Girls Learn program with her husband, former President Barack Obama. She has spoken at many events where she's advocated for women's empowerment, including the International Women of Courage Awards (pictured above), and often uses interviews to talk about issues that impact women. With this in mind, it's hardly surprising that Michelle would have deep-rooted issues with some of Donald Trump's past statements about women.

When he was first running for office in 2016, Trump found himself in hot water when a recording of a conversation from 2005 was released, in which he talked about kissing women without their consent, and more. "I just start kissing them," he said in the "Access Hollywood" tape, via BBC News. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab them by the p***y. You can do anything." After the recording went viral, Trump issued an apology for the remarks and shrugged them off as "locker room banter." At a rally for Hillary Clinton, Michelle called the comments "disgraceful." "This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior," she stated.

When you make a bid for the White House, it's not just your life that changes, but the life of your entire family, too. What really convinced Michelle Obama to let Barack Obama run for president was her unwavering belief in her husband. There's no denying that the couple presented a united front and seemingly have one of the healthiest relationships we've seen in politics. With this being said, Donald Trump's constant barrage of personal attacks against Barack must have been difficult for Michelle, Barack's constant companion since 1982, to handle. Of course, when you're in politics a certain amount of mudslinging is to be expected, but Trump seemed to take it to the next level. 

Back in 2012, Trump went so far as to tweet false information that called Barack Obama's right to be in office into question. "An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud," he wrote via Politico, to the disdain of many. If that wasn't bad enough, Trump went on a tirade against him at a press conference in 2016: "He has been a disaster as a president. He will go down as one of the worst presidents in the history of our country." Among many other things, he claimed Barack founded the terrorist group ISIS, called him weak, and took aim at his largely positively received health program, Obamacare. All of this rhetoric wouldn't have gone unnoticed by Michelle. 

Life for Michelle Obama has changed since leaving the White House, but some things remain the same. Donald Trump has continued to speak out against her, and that doesn't seem likely to change any time soon. What's most surprising about this is that typically, politicians refrain from making disparaging remarks about first ladies, especially when they're still in office. Trump had no qualms about breaking this unspoken rule on his campaign trail the first time when he took issue with Michelle's support of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. As reported by BBC News, when talking to a crowd at a rally in North Carolina, he said, "I see how much [Michelle Obama] likes Hillary. But wasn't she the one that originally started the statement, 'If you can't take care of your home,' right? 'You can't take care of the White House or the country?' Where's that? I don't hear that. I don't hear that."

Though some may have been confused, Trump was alluding to a statement that Michelle made way back in 2007 when her husband, Barack Obama, was running against Clinton for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Trump seemed to be implying that Michelle had been talking about Clinton, but Michelle was talking about getting her own house in order, discussing juggling family life with the couple's young daughters, as well as supporting her husband. 

A few years before Barack Obama brutally roasted Donald Trump in a rally speech, it was Michelle Obama's turn to tell him what she thought, albeit in a veiled manner. In 2016, while Michelle was still the first lady, she sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey to talk about the future of politics as Trump was set to take over the White House. Even though she didn't call Trump out by name, it was clear that she was talking about him. "Now, we're feeling what not having hope feels like," she stated. "Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept. Barack didn't just talk about hope because it was a nice slogan to get votes. What else do you have if you don't have hope?" 

More pointedly, Michelle went on to say that she felt Barack had been a steadfast leader, like a parent America could look to when in need: "Having a grown-up in the White House who can say to you in times of crisis and turmoil, 'Hey, it's going to be okay.' What do we do, if we don't have hope, Oprah?" Michelle's sentiment was clear. She didn't feel as though Trump's win was a win for America, nor that he was the adult needed in the Oval Office to take the country through turbulent times. This interview certainly made waves, as it was widely reported on. Just a day later, Trump addressed Michelle's comments in front of a crowd. Per  The Washington Post, to a loud chorus of cheers, Trump said, "Michelle Obama said yesterday that there's no hope, but I assume she's talking about the past and not the future." 

The stunning transformation of Michelle Obama has taught us one thing: that we never stop evolving. Even after she and husband Barack Obama left the White House in 2017, Michelle continued to speak out against injustices and urge people, specifically women, to make better choices. The race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was famously close in 2016. While Clinton won the popular vote, she lost the electoral college and therefore the presidency. What struck Michelle the most was the fact that 52% of white women voted for Trump. As reported by BBC News, while speaking at a Boston conference in 2017, Michelle told the crowd, "Quite frankly, we saw this in this election. As far as I'm concerned, any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice ... Well, to me that just says, you don't like your voice. You like the thing you're told to like." 

Considering just how vocal Michelle has been about advocating for female empowerment, she wouldn't have said this lightly. In this particular case, Trump didn't fire back at Michelle, perhaps because he had already won the presidency and didn't feel the need to rebuff her comments. Michelle's disappointment in American women was apparent, but she was also quick to point out that she hoped Trump's stint in the White House went well, regardless. "We want the sitting president to be successful because we live in this country," she said. "He is our commander in chief, he was voted in."

Things between Donald Trump and the Obamas seemed to quiet down after the latter's exit from the White House. After all, there was no need for Trump to take any notice of Michelle as she was no longer standing in the way of what he wanted — but it was a brief reprieve before things escalated again. When Trump ran for office in 2024, Michelle fiercely backed Vice President Kamala Harris, just as she had backed Hillary Clinton years before. As Biden didn't step down until quite late in the game, Harris had a short amount of time to drum up the American public's faith in her. Michelle, along with Barack Obama, spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention on behalf of Harris, and this time, she didn't hold back when talking about Trump.

"For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us," Michelle stated, as reported by USA Today. "See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black." Her speech continued, "It's his same old con ... Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better." She went on to call his ideas small-minded and asked why the people should put someone with his ideals into such a powerful position. At a subsequent rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, Trump chastised the Obamas for their DNC remarks. "Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle," he said, as reported by Politico.

We never saw the transformation of Donald Trump from billionaire businessman to president of the United States coming. When he made his way into the White House in 2017, the eyes of the world were on him as we waited to see what he had in store. He changed a lot of things during his first stint in office, and just a few months in it seemed he was settling a personal vendetta when news broke that he was apparently scrapping an initiative near and dear to Michelle Obama. The Let Girls Learn program was started by Michelle and Barack Obama in 2015 as an international quest to help girls in developing countries get important access to education. By May 2017, it looked like the Trump administration decided it wasn't for them. As reported by CNN, an email sent to the Peace Corps executives read, "Moving forward, we will not continue to use the 'Let Girls Learn' brand or maintain a stand-alone program."

However, when reports of this surfaced, the Trump administration claimed that it wasn't true and that there had been no changes to the program. When challenged on why the memo was sent to the Peace Corps if it wasn't true, the administration didn't have an answer. Interestingly, it wasn't the only one of Michelle's initiatives to take a hit during this time. The former first lady had spent a lot of time working on plans to make school lunches healthier in different areas, and the rules were changed on this as well. 

While some of us were busy looking at the worst-dressed stars and politicians at Donald Trump's second inauguration, others might've been wondering where Michelle Obama was. It's common for former presidents and first ladies to attend, but while Barack Obama was there, Michelle was nowhere to be found at the January 2025 ceremony. In a short comment provided to CBS News, Michelle's team stated, "Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration." No other explanation was offered, but an unnamed source claimed to People that it wasn't something as simple as a packed schedule. 

"There's no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She's not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol's sake," they alleged. "Michelle doesn't do anything because it's expected or it's protocol or it's tradition." The insider went on to claim that Trump's previous controversial remarks as well as his mudslinging at her husband made it near impossible for Michelle to sit through the inauguration and play nice. Considering just how much bad blood there is, Michelle's presence seems understandable. She also chose not to attend the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter, with some speculating she didn't want to sit next to Trump. Michelle Obama wasn't the only one missing from Trump's inauguration, as Nancy Pelosi and Karen Pence also were not present at the event.

Donald Trump's second inauguration, which was held on January 20, 2025, happened to fall on Martin Luther King Day. At the time of writing in late January 2025, Michelle Obama hasn't said anything official about why she wasn't at the ceremony. However, she didn't stay silent on the day and took to Instagram to share a message about King's legacy. "Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of service always inspires me," she wrote, alongside a black and white photograph of the civil rights leader. "Whether you're mentoring students at your local school or volunteering for a cause that matters to you, it all helps make a difference," she continued. 

Many constituents felt that the wife of former President Barack Obama was sending the poignant message that she had no interest in acknowledging what was going on  at the U.S. Capitol that day. The comments section largely commended Michelle for her actions, with one user writing, "Today we honor a king and not a felon!" 

When it comes to Donald Trump and Michelle Obama, no action goes by without a reaction. After Barack Obama's other half chose not to attend the 2025 inauguration, news broke that the Trump administration and those involved in the planning of the day were reveling in her decision not to come. A source told Page Six, "They are having a good laugh. They didn't expect her to come anyway." Another Republican insider told the gossip mag, "It's obvious that this was her way of protesting Trump. She hates him." 

With that being said, a Democratic source pointed out to the outlet that when the tables were turned, the reaction was totally different. When it was Joe Biden's turn to be sworn in back in 2021, Donald and his third wife, Melania Trump, chose to stay away from the ceremony. As the source noted, this arguably received far less fanfare than Michelle's absence. Whatever the case, something tells us that the ongoing battle between Donald and Michelle isn't likely to be over any time soon.