--- title: Michelle Obama Explains Her Look at Trump's Inauguration description: In her new book, the former First Lady explains what she was thinking during the inauguration of Donald Trump. canonical: https://time.com/5451887/michelle-obama-trump-inauguration/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-12T15:56:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:05:59.596Z og:title: Michelle Obama Explains Her Look at Trump's Inauguration og:description: The former First Lady reflected on how she felt that day og:url: https://time.com/5451887/michelle-obama-trump-inauguration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f3a1d63ea273d4f/69893ece97cdff0b896b6b02/michelle-obama-trump-inauguration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: Donald Trump Is Sworn In As 45th President Of The United States og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama Explains Her Look at Trump's Inauguration twitter:description: The former First Lady reflected on how she felt that day twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f3a1d63ea273d4f/69893ece97cdff0b896b6b02/michelle-obama-trump-inauguration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Michelle Obama Explains What She Was Thinking at Trump's Inauguration > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a6796beb-52b4-4184-b261-31a1384b98c4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Barack and Michelle Obama Welcome The Trumps [Watch (HLS stream): Barack and Michelle Obama Welcome The Trumps](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dZ2rP8du.m3u8) (1:33)  _Published 2017-01-20. The nation’s capital on Friday awoke to the traditions that coincide with every presidential inauguration, taking the final steps toward a peaceful transition of power, hours before Donald Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 12, 2018 3:56 PM UTC The nation’s capital on Friday awoke to the traditions that coincide with every presidential inauguration, taking the final steps toward a peaceful transition of power, hours before Donald Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 12, 2018 3:56 PM UTC Former President Barack Obama and First Lady [Michelle Obama](http://time.com/5441697/michelle-obama-costume/) have mostly avoided directly criticizing President [Donald Trump](http://time.com/5441481/meacham-beyond-hate/) since he took office. But in her new book, [_Becoming_](http://time.com/5421731/michelle-obama-white-house/), and in [an ABC interview](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/michelle-obama-thought-husband-win-bruising-campaign-white-59084181) with Robin Roberts, Michelle Obama got a bit more direct about her feelings about the man who assumed her husband’s position after the 2016 election. Reflecting on the day that Trump was [inaugurated](http://time.com/5177145/melania-trump-stephanie-winston-wolkoff-inauguration/) in Washington, D.C., Obama shared just how she felt about the transition of power. “I stopped even trying to smile,” she said, even though the “optics” might not have looked great. “Someone from Barack’s administration might have said that the optics there were bad, that what the public saw didn’t reflect the president’s reality or ideals, ” she explains in the book. “But in this case, maybe it did.” Obama remained diplomatic, however, about her current state of mind when it comes to the president. “But voters make those decisions and once the voters have spoken, we live with what we live with,” she said. The big line she draws: she will “never forgive” Trump for stoking the flames of the [birther conspiracy,](http://time.com/4511800/michelle-obama-donald-trump-birtherism/) which she said endangered her family. “Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk,” she wrote of that issue. While promoting her upcoming memoir, Obama has also discussed her relationship with Barack, including their experience with [marriage counseling](http://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/) and their journey towards [parenthood.](http://time.com/5450215/michelle-obama-ivf-miscarriage/) ## Transcript [00:00] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Mr. President- Elect. How [00:05] are you? Good to [00:10] see you. Congratulations. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:15] So nice to see [00:20] you. How are you? [00:25] I'm doing very well. [00:30] Thank you. 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