‘It Still Hurts’: Michelle Obama Reveals Why Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Win ‘Shook’ Her ‘Profoundly’

Michelle Obama wrote a new book in which she talks about how sad she was when Donald Trump won the 2016 election for US President.

The former first lady opens up in her new book, The Light We Carry, on enduring hardship and maintaining optimism. NPR was given a preview of two chapters of Obama's audiobook on Monday.

Michelle Obama remarked in her book that it "profoundly" affected her to know that the successor of her husband was "openly and unapologetically using ethnic slurs," normalizing selfishness and hate, "refusing to condemn white supremacists or support people demonstrating for racial justice."

Barack Obama's wife added that she was taken aback by the threatening tone of Donald Trump when he talked about people's differences, as per a CNN report.

Michelle Obama noted that she and her husband had based their ideals on "hope and hard work," thus it was a mystery to her why the majority of Americans allowed the Donald Trump 2016 Presidential win,

Michelle Obama said that her family has tried to live by these values for eight years. She expressed that they made it through despite and "maybe even in defiance" of the racism and intolerance that are "so deeply embedded" in American culture.

"We knew that being here as Black people represented a new level of possibility. That's why we stepped up our efforts and kept believing in the potential for success."

Deciding To Make a Difference Despite The Pain

Although the 2016 election results may not have been a blatant rejection of all that, they were nevertheless painful. it did hurt. It still hurts," Michelle Obama remarked, describing the emotion as much worse than "a simple political defeat."

Michelle Obama noted that while the 2016 election between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic contender Hillary Clinton would be studied by historians and analysts "for a long time to come," in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, she was unable to do so.

During the terrifying first several months of 2020, Barack Obama's wife said she was confined to their home and she was clueless about the significance of the events. Despite his popularity in the polls, the best-selling author of "Becoming" said what she witnessed was the low credibility of Donald Trump, which was reflected in the worsening "mortality count" amid the onslaught of COVID-19 in the United States.

Michelle Obama, who memorably reminded attendees at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, "When they go low, we go high," admitted that, behind closed doors, she was reeling while she continued her post-White House job of voter registration and "acknowledging people's sorrow."

"Privately, I was finding it harder to access my own hope, or to feel like I could make an actual difference," Obama wrote in her book, as reported by The Hill.

Michelle Reveals Barrack Obama's Presidential Run Decision Was Difficult For Her

Michelle Obama also stated in her book that she was terrified when Barack Obama initially told her he intended to run for president.

She remarked that the idea of it was horrifying to her and it was difficult for her to accept her husband's decision. "I could have altered the course of history because of my fear. Instead, I said 'yes.'"

Obama's new book, which hits shelves on Tuesday, is both a guide and a reflection on how she made it through the past few years, how she battled sadness and worry, and how she restored optimism for the future.

In 2018, she published her autobiography, titled "Becoming," which quickly became one of the best-selling books of all time after selling over 17 million copies around the world.