Former first lady Michelle Obama finds herself feeling the need to explain why she stayed away from Donald J. Trump’s inauguration.
Allow me this bit of candor. There is not a reason on Earth for Michelle Obama to explain a single thing. Not to me, or to you. Or to anyone.
She stayed away because, in my view, she could not stand the thought of making nice with those who have demonized her, along with her husband and all of the couple’s political friends. What is so mysterious about that? Not a damn thing!
Even more troubling came the whispering about the state of the Obamas’ marriage. OK, she stayed away from Trump’s inauguration. Then she went MIA for the funeral of former President Carter. Her husband was there, along with former President Clinton and President Biden and, of course, the incoming Trump.
Again, Mrs. Obama didn’t need to rework her schedule to fit in a public appearance with Trump. Yet, the questions persisted about the Obamas’ marriage.
Finally, it fell to the former president to declare publicly that he and his wife are fine and that the rest of the world needs to butt the hell out.
Michelle Obama conducted herself with class, grace, good humor and style during her eight years as first lady. She also recognized that as the nation’s first Black presidential couple, she had to do her job to perfection. And she did!
To her everlasting credit, the former first lady responded to pressure to explain her absence from the ceremony involving the return of a totally unfit human being to the presidency. It’s a shame that she deemed it necessary to explain herself.
It’s frustrating that Michelle Obama even felt the need to justify her absence from Trump’s inauguration. Her decision to stay away was clearly a personal choice, and she’s entitled to that without scrutiny. The focus on her marriage is unnecessary and invasive—it’s nobody’s business but hers and Barack’s. Why are people so obsessed with dissecting her actions when her integrity speaks for itself?