Michelle Obama Has Strong Words For Donald Trump In Latest Post

It's no secret that there's no love lost between Michelle Obama and Donald Trump. After Joe Biden defeated Trump in the presidential election, Obama voiced her support for the president-elect with a powerful message that also seemingly criticized Trump, albeit in veiled terms. "Let's remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division," she wrote in a Twitter thread. "We've got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us."

While Biden won the election, Trump has refused to concede or to work with Biden's transition team to ensure a peaceful transition of power. Obama opened up about this in a lengthy Instagram post. "This week, I've been reflecting a lot on where I was four years ago," she wrote. "Hilary Clinton had just been dealt a tough loss by a far closer margin than the one we've seen this year. I was hurt and disappointed — but the votes had been counted and Donald Trump had won. The American people had spoken. And one of the great responsibilities of the presidency is to listen when they do."

She continued, "So my husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power — one of the hallmarks of American democracy. We invited the folks from the president-elect's team into our offices and prepared detailed memos for them, offering what we'd learned over the past eight years."

Obama admitted that seeing Trump win the election was difficult for her as "Trump had spread racist lies about my husband that had put my family in danger." While she said she was not "ready to forgive" that, she found "the strength and maturity to put my anger aside" to invite Melania Trump to the White House to answer her questions about being first lady. This time-honored tradition is one that Melania Trump has made no move to honor for incoming First Lady Jill Biden.

Obama urged the country to honor the results of the election in spite of the fact that Trump is refusing to admit his loss. "Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don't like them or wish it had gone differently — the presidency doesn't belong to any one individual or any one party," she wrote. "To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theories—whether for personal or political gain—is to put our country's health and security in danger. This isn't a game."

The former first lady concluded, "So I want to urge all Americans, especially our nation's leaders, regardless of party, to honor the electoral process and do your part to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history."