Michelle Obama has dismissed the US president as being akin to a “divorced dad” while noting the indictments levied against him.
The former first lady juxtaposed the Donald Trump administration to Barack Obama’s presidency during a wide-ranging interview on Sunday to promote her autobiography Becoming in London, venting her frustrations at the president’s decision to radically overhaul her husband’s legacy.
Ms Obama took aim at the billionaire property developer in a series of jibes during which she did not mention him by name. “For anyone who had any problems with Barack Obama, let’s just think about what we were troubled by – there were never any indictments,” she told a crowd of around 15,000 at the O2.
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The Chicago native, who was interviewed by US late-night host Stephen Colbert, jokingly compared the US with Mr Trump in the White House to being a teenager.
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“In our house we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and laughter is the best form of unity, I think, in a marriage.” On Live with Regis and Kelly in February 2011.
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"You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own." In a speech to schoolgirls at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in North London in April 2009.
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“I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong, so don’t be afraid. You hear me? Young people, don’t be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered… Lead by example with hope, never fear, and know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.” In her final White House address in January 2017.
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“When a father puts in long hours at work, he’s praised for being dedicated and ambitious. But when a mother stays late at the office, she’s sometimes accused of being selfish, neglecting her kids.” At the "Let Girls Learn Event" in Madrid, Spain in June 2016.
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“For so many people, television and movies may be the only way they understand people who aren’t like them… I come across many little black girls who come up to me over the course of this 7½ years with tears in their eyes, and they say: ‘Thank you for being a role model for me. I don’t see educated black women on TV, and the fact that you’re first lady validates who I am.'” In an interview with Variety in August 2016.
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“See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept. What do you give your kids if you can’t give them hope?” In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in December 2016.
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"My most important title is 'mom-in-chief'. My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the centre of my world." At the Democratic National Convention in September 2012.
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“Men in every country need to look into their hearts and souls and ask themselves whether they truly view and treat women as their equals. And then when you all encounter men in your lives who answer no to that question, then you need to take them to task. You need to tell them that any man who uses his strength to oppress women is a coward, and he is holding back the progress of his family and his country.” In a speech at the summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, July 2014.
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“When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.” At the Democratic convention, July 2016.
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"Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you. We realised that being successful isn’t about being impressive, it’s about being inspired." In a speech at the Oregon State University commencement, June 2012.
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“In our house we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and laughter is the best form of unity, I think, in a marriage.” On Live with Regis and Kelly in February 2011.
Getty Images
"You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own." In a speech to schoolgirls at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in North London in April 2009.
Getty Images
“I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong, so don’t be afraid. You hear me? Young people, don’t be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered… Lead by example with hope, never fear, and know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.” In her final White House address in January 2017.
Getty Images
“When a father puts in long hours at work, he’s praised for being dedicated and ambitious. But when a mother stays late at the office, she’s sometimes accused of being selfish, neglecting her kids.” At the "Let Girls Learn Event" in Madrid, Spain in June 2016.
Getty Images
“For so many people, television and movies may be the only way they understand people who aren’t like them… I come across many little black girls who come up to me over the course of this 7½ years with tears in their eyes, and they say: ‘Thank you for being a role model for me. I don’t see educated black women on TV, and the fact that you’re first lady validates who I am.'” In an interview with Variety in August 2016.
AFP/Getty Images
“See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept. What do you give your kids if you can’t give them hope?” In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in December 2016.
Getty Images
"My most important title is 'mom-in-chief'. My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the centre of my world." At the Democratic National Convention in September 2012.
AFP/Getty Images
“Men in every country need to look into their hearts and souls and ask themselves whether they truly view and treat women as their equals. And then when you all encounter men in your lives who answer no to that question, then you need to take them to task. You need to tell them that any man who uses his strength to oppress women is a coward, and he is holding back the progress of his family and his country.” In a speech at the summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, July 2014.
Getty Images
“When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.” At the Democratic convention, July 2016.
Getty Images
"Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you. We realised that being successful isn’t about being impressive, it’s about being inspired." In a speech at the Oregon State University commencement, June 2012.
Getty Images
“We come from a broken family, we are a little unsettled,” Ms Obama said. “Sometimes you spend the weekend with divorced dad. That feels like fun but then you get sick. That is what America is going through. We are living with divorced dad.”
Ms Obama, who has been married to the former president for 27 years, said her family’s life had been profoundly different before entering the White House – describing them as a “normal family” who had no time to “adjust to the rarified air of politics” when they arrived in Washington.
“We were always ourselves – the presidency does not change who you are, it reveals who you are,” she added in what appeared to be another dig at the current president.
“It is like swimming in the ocean with great waves. If you are not a great swimmer, you are not going to learn in the middle of a tidal wave. You are going to resort to your kicking and drowning and what you knew how to do in the pool.”
Ms Obama, who left the White House over two years ago, later explained she did not hesitate to discuss Mr Trump in her book which has sold more than 10 million copies and is on track to become the most popular memoir in history.
The former first lady, who enjoyed consistently high popularity ratings, said she struggled to watch the news at the moment.
“When I am not emotionally able to deal with it I turn it off for a moment,” she said. “I only let some of that stuff into my world when I’m ready. You can’t have a steady diet of fear and frustration coming in.”
The lawyer told the crowd that while the world was currently in a “dark” place there was still hope for the future.
Obama: ‘We are going to have to find ways in which we improve the conversation on the internet and in social media’
She said: “This may feel like a dark chapter but any story has its highs and lows but it continues. Yes, we are in a low but we have been lower. We have had tougher times, we have had more to fear. We have lived through slavery, the Holocaust and segregation.
“We have always come out at the other end – better and stronger. We are moving in a direction of diversity and inclusion. No-one ever said it would be easy. We are just in the throes of the uneasy path of change.”
Ms Obama, who said she was most anxious about Mr Trump’s policies on healthcare, cast her mind back to the struggles the former first family experienced during their time in the White House.
“I don’t know if there has been a president who has been accused of not being born in this country? Who has been asked to show his transcripts? Who has been accused of being unpatriotic? There was a lot of stuff that had not happened before that happened to us.”
She added: “There was a time when people accused me of not loving my country. They accused me of being loud and rude and obnoxious.”
Ms Obama, who said there was “trepidation” and “anxiety” both in America and all over the world, said she wanted to “remind people” that her husband was elected twice.
She added: “That really did happen. People would have voted for him for a third time. What is going on today is true but what happened before was also true. That should give us some solace at some level. For eight years, the president they saw in their country was Barack Obama. He was somebody who people thought was smart and would do the right thing.”