Former first lady Michelle Obama is urging Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump not to dismiss his supporters as simply hateful or uninformed, arguing many Americans backed him out of frustration and desperation.
According to Fox News, during an appearance on the âTalk Easyâ podcast, Obama reflected on Trumpâs victories in both 2016 and 2024 and said economic pain and dissatisfaction with the political system pushed many voters toward the president.
Host Sam Fragoso asked Obama whether her perception of the country changed after Trumpâs election wins.
Obama acknowledged feeling disappointed by the results but said she believes many voters were motivated by struggles in their everyday lives rather than ideology alone.
âAnd thatâs true that anger, you know, I canât 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,â she said.
She pointed out that some Americans who previously voted twice for former President Barack Obama later backed Trump.
âMany of the people who voted for my husband twice â twice! And I know that thatâs how they feel,â Obama said. âItâs like, this isnât about anything other than just, we need something different.â
The former first lady argued that critics often oversimplify Trump supporters by labeling them racist or uncaring.
âSo, you canât just pigeonhole them and say you just donât care, and youâre racist or whatever youâre thinking,â she said. âThis is an act of âI donât know what else to do.ââ
Obama also said Americans struggling with healthcare costs and rising expenses are feeling overwhelmed and abandoned by political leaders.
âI just wish we had more leaders that were figuring out how to do more for the middle class, for the working folks, because those are the folks who are drowning in this economy,â she said.
âItâs not me anymore, but I know those folks, and theyâre good people, and they donât have a way out and that makes for bad choices,â she added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Obama said the United States still has unfinished work when it comes to democracy.
She also referenced comments she made earlier this year describing the country as being in a âjankyâ phase.
Speaking in April on her podcast âIMO,â Obama said America regularly goes through different periods of change and turmoil.
âWell, thatâs the 2.0 of life, and when we talk about how do you feel about the country? You know, there are versions of the country that happen, right?â she said at the time.
âAnd the new version doesnât make the old one bad. Itâs necessary for growth. And I think weâre in just a janky version.â
Obama argued that difficult moments often reveal the countryâs character and pointed to community responses following ICE-related violence in Minnesota as an example of Americans supporting one another.
âBut with each version, we learned something about ourselves as a country,â she said.
âAnd you know Iâm, right now Iâm kind of digging the way folks are beginning to respond.â