After a polarizing election and, in some states, on-going races, it’s hard to imagine what the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden will look like. Former First Lady Michelle Obama shared some thoughts about the transition in a lengthy Instagram post, reflecting on her experience welcoming President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump into the White House.
Obama called out President Trump for making the transition of power so difficult for Biden and encouraged every American to honor the voting process.
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Obama acknowledged that she was “hurt and disappointed” after Hillary Clinton lost the election four years ago, but that it was important to run a “respectful, seamless transition of power – one of the hallmarks of American democracy.”
In light of that, she and President Obama welcomed the new President and First Lady into the White House, though Trump’s prior false statement about the Obamas made it difficult.
During Obama’s presidency, Trump had spread “racist lies” about Obama that put their family in danger, she wrote in the caption.
“I knew that, for the sake of our country, I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside,” the mom-of-two wrote.
So, she met with Melania and answered all of her questions – from what it’s like raising children in the White House to dealing with the immense scrutiny that comes with being the First Lady.
Though it was challenging, Obama said she knew it was the right thing to do.
“Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like or wish it had gone differently,” she wrote. “The presidency doesn’t belong to any individual or any one party. To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theories—whether for personal or political gain—is to put our country’s health and security in danger. This isn’t a game.”
It has now been nearly two weeks since President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris were announced the winners of this year’s election, but Trump has yet to concede, making the transition very difficult.
“So I want to urge all Americans, especially our nation’s leaders, regardless of party, to honor the electoral process and do your part to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history,” she concluded.