Michelle Obama shared valuable advice with Melania Trump about being First Lady and raising children in the White House. Reflecting on her own time in the role, Michelle openly admitted that her eight years as First Lady were challenging, but she was able to persevere thanks to her faith and belief in her husband.
During an interview with Stephen Colbert in 2016, Michelle made an unexpected comment about political spouses who don’t share their partners’ beliefs. “No…you know, you have to be, you know, in it. If you’re in it, and if you don’t agree, you should have agreed before they ran. Bottom line is, if you didn’t agree with what Barack was saying, I would not support his run. So I stand there proudly, and I hope they are, too, standing with their spouses proudly. So no, no sympathy,” Michelle said, eliciting laughter from the audience with her candidness.
In contrast, Melania Trump’s memoir reveals that she disagrees with her husband, former President Donald Trump, on some key political issues. Specifically, she openly supports abortion rights, a position that is at odds with her husband’s anti-abortion stance. In her book, she writes, “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.” This was surprising to many, given Donald Trump’s public opposition to abortion during his presidency and his efforts to limit reproductive rights.
Melania also shares in her memoir that she and Donald Trump do not see eye-to-eye on certain aspects of immigration policy. During the 2020 election season, Melania largely stayed out of the public campaign trail but stated in an interview with DuJour magazine, “I am very involved at home.” She also mentioned in her book that she prefers to discuss disagreements with her husband privately, rather than publicly.
Despite their differences, Michelle Obama ensured a smooth transition when she passed on the role of First Lady to Melania. After the 2016 election, Michelle posted on Instagram, expressing her disappointment over the results, but also emphasizing the importance of democracy, writing: “Our democracy is so much bigger than anybody’s ego.”
