Michelle Obama Breaks Silence On Skipping Donald Trump’s Second Inauguration

Michelle Obama is getting candid about her absence from President Donald Trump’s second Inauguration earlier this year. In the April 23 episode of her and brother Craig Robinson’s “IMO” podcast, the former First Lady shared a bit about why she skipped the ceremony. “My decision to skip the inauguration – you know, what people don’t realize – or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism. Like, people couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” she told guest Taraji P. Henson, adding, “While I’m here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me. And it took everything in my power to not do the thing that was right or that was perceived as right but do the thing that was right for me. That was a hard thing for me to do.” The best-selling author went on to explain that she had to “trick” herself out of going. “It started with not having anything to wear. I mean, I had affirmatively – because I’m always prepared for any funeral, anything I have I walk around with the right dress, I travel with clothes just in case something pops off – so, I was like if I’m not going to do this thing, I gotta tell my team, I don’t even want to have a dress ready.”