Former First Lady Michelle Obama made a rare post-White House appearance today in Boston to speak at Inbound 2017, a business conference featuring a variety of celebrity speakers. In a sit-down with Roxane Gay, the former FLOTUS discussed Trump's presidency (without even mentioning his name), Hillary Clinton's campaign, and the legacy of the Obama administration—but not before being welcomed with a roaring applause.
It's been eight months since the Obamas have officially moved out of the White House. When asked if she missed being there, the former First Lady responded, "No. Nope, can't say I do." But she later added that she missed "the people and the work."
Obama explained that, although she supported Hillary Clinton through the 2016 election, she hopes Trump still succeeds as president "because we live in this country," even if "we don't like" the fact that he was voted in office. She lends her support even though, as she recalled, her husband didn't experience the same as POTUS. "There was a whole political party that didn't do that for my husband," she said.
She added that the legacy of the Obama administration was to "leading with grace and being humble," but it also goes beyond policy. "The Affordable Care Act isn't Barack's legacy, it's the country's legacy," she said.
Obama later explained how her husband wouldn't just become a "talking head" now that he's left the White House (which included a slight dig at Trump). "Barack is not going to turn into what this president was, [which was] just somebody tweeting in the wind and stirring up mess without really knowing what they were talking about," she added.
She also touched upon Clinton's loss in the election, after she and Barack endorsed her and often made appearances and speeches on the campaign trail. "Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton, voted against their own voice," Obama added.
However, she's hopeful that the U.S. will get a woman Commander-in-Chief one day. She even uses the term "First Spouse" rather than "First Lady."
And other equally important cultural news, she also revealed her favorite song on Beyoncé's Lemonade album. Even though she loves all of the tracks, she ultimately picked "Love Drought," saying she plays the song "over and over."
