Michelle Obama says she and former President Barack Obama 'could’ve never gotten away with some of the stuff going on now' in the White House in her latest podcast episode.
The former First Lady reflected on race and the expectations of black America during her husband's presidency in new episode of her Spotify podcast Wednesday.
'When we were in the White House, we could've never gotten away with some of the stuff that's going on now, not because of the public, but our community wouldn't have accepted that,' Obama said in the pocast.
'You worked, you did your best every day. You showed up,' she added.
Michelle Obama says she and former President Barack Obama 'could’ve never gotten away with some of the stuff going on now' in the White House in her latest podcast episode. Barack and Michelle Obama pictured together in the Oval Office in February 2010
Her comments were a dig at Donald Trump's leadership in office. Donald and Melania Trump pictured in the Oval Office in June 2017
She spoke with her mother Marian Robinson and her brother Craig and they recalled how he once got stopped by the police riding his bike down the street when he was just 10 or 11.
That traumatizing shaped the rest of their lives, they revealed.
'What a lot of folks who are not in our position don't understand is that this is such a way of life when it comes to interacting with the rest of the world,' Obama said.
'When you leave the safety of your home and go out into the street, where being Black is a crime in and of itself, we have all had to learn how to operate outside of our homes with a level of caution and fear, because you never know,' she added.
Obama added that 'almost everybody' she knows went through 'some kind of incident where they were just minding their own business but living Black, and got accused of something.'
In Obama's latest podcast episode she reflected on race with her mother Marian Robinson and her brother Craig
She said in the podcast that 'almost everybody' she knows went through 'some kind of incident where they were just minding their own business but living Black, and got accused of something'
Obama said that black America wouldn't 'accept' the things the Trump administration does today if they were still in office
Obama said that from a young age black children are taught that they have to exceed expectations in order to be viewed as good enough.
'You’re taught, you know, people are going to assume the worst of you. So you’ve got to be better than, you’ve got to be 10 times better than,' she said.
The family discussed the protests that have unfolded in all 50 states decrying systemic racism and police brutality, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in May.
'The fact that there are people out there that treat us less than, when we're working so hard to be better than, that's where the pain comes from. That's what these young people are so angry about,' Obama said.
She urged critics of the protests to think twice before casting judgement on people taking to the streets.
'The notion that people are out there wondering about these protests,' Obama said. 'It’s like, do you know how much it takes, that it takes to get up everyday, and be accused of being less than what you are.'
She urged critics of the protests to think twice before casting judgement saying: 'The notion that people are out there wondering about these protests...It’s like, do you know how much it takes, that it takes to get up everyday, and be accused of being less than what you are'
In her powerful DNC address last month she said: ' Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country'
At the Democratic National Convention in August Obama delivered a powerful address where she slammed Trump’s leadership saying he was 'the wrong president for our country'.
'Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,' she said.
'He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is,' she added.
Donald Trump has been disapproving of the protests seeking to reform the police system and end racism.
