Michelle Obama says 'loud and reckless' Trump put her family at risk with birther conspiracies
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Former first lady Michelle Obama has remained somewhat tight-lipped about President Trump since the 2016 presidential election, but in her new memoir, she doesn't hold back.
In Becoming, which will be released on Nov. 13, Obama says Trump's false conspiracy theory that her husband, former President Barack Obama, was not born in the United States was "crazy and mean-spirited," with its "bigotry and xenophobia hardly concealed," but these "loud and reckless innuendos" were also "deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks." Obama says this made her fear for her family's safety because "someone with an unstable mind" could drive to Washington with a loaded gun and try to harm her daughters. "And for this I'd never forgive him," Obama writes of Trump, according to an excerpt published by The Washington Post.
Trump spent years promoting birtherism, at one point saying he had information from an "extremely credible" source that could prove Obama's birth certificate was fake, but he never offered up this supposed proof. He finally admitted in a press conference in September 2016 that Obama was, in fact, born in the United States, but never apologized or said he was wrong.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Obama also recalls in Becoming her shock at the 2016 election result, saying she could not believe that a "misogynist" would be elected over Hillary Clinton, whom she calls an "exceptionally qualified female candidate," per The Associated Press. She says she tried to block out memories of the election, and she recalls that her body "buzzed with fury" after she heard the Access Hollywood tape, on which Trump bragged about groping women without their consent. Obama says that what Trump was essentially saying on tape was, "I can hurt you and get away with it."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The Olympic timekeepers keeping the Games on trackUnder the Radar Swiss watchmaking giant Omega has been at the finish line of every Olympic Games for nearly 100 years
-
Will increasing tensions with Iran boil over into war?Today’s Big Question President Donald Trump has recently been threatening the country
-
Corruption: The spy sheikh and the presidentFeature Trump is at the center of another scandal
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
