As outgoing President Donald Trump refuses to concede the 2020 presidential race to President-elect Joe Biden, Michelle Obama has called for "all Americans, especially our nationâs leaders," to "honor the electoral process and do [their] part to encourage a smooth transition of power."
On Monday (November 16), the former First Lady took to social media to share the important message, which came in the form of an Instagram caption of a photo showing her and her husband, former President Barack Obama, leaving the White House on Trump's inauguration day back in 2017.
"This week, Iâve been reflecting a lot on where I was four years ago," she began. "Hilary Clinton had just been dealt a tough loss by a far closer margin than the one weâve seen this year. I was hurt and disappointedâbut the votes had been counted and Donald Trump had won. The American people had spoken. And one of the great responsibilities of the presidency is to listen when they do. So my husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of powerâone of the hallmarks of American democracy."
Shen then noted how she and Barack invited Trump's team "into our offices and prepared detailed memos for them, offering what weâd learned over the past eight years." Michelle noted that "none of this was easy" for her, given the fact that Trump "had spread racist lies" about Barack that had put her family in danger. "That wasnât something I was ready to forgive. But I knew that, for the sake of our country, I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside," she explained before indirectly referencing Melania Trump's behavior in not reaching out to Jill Biden after the election, as is tradition, recalling how she not only welcomed Melania into the White House in 2017, but "talked with her about my experience, answering every question she hadâfrom the heightened scrutiny that comes with being First Lady to what itâs like to raise kids in the White House."
"I knew in my heart it was the right thing to doâbecause our democracy is so much bigger than anybodyâs ego," Michelle continued. "Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we donât like them or wish it had gone differentlyâthe presidency doesnât belong to any one individual or any one party. To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theoriesâwhether for personal or political gainâis to put our countryâs health and security in danger."
The best-selling author concluded her message, writing, "This isnât a game. So I want to urge all Americans, especially our nationâs leaders, regardless of party, to honor the electoral process and do your part to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history."
On Sunday (November 15), in his first interview since the 2020 presidential election, Barack also called out Trump and GOP members, who have backed 45's baseless claims of voter fraud and have prevented a peaceful transition of power.
"There's damage to this because what happens is that the peaceful transfer of power, the notion that any of us who attain an elected office, whether it's dogcatcher or president, are servants of the people," he told CBS' Sunday Morning. "It's a temporary job. We're not above the rules. We're not above the law. That's the essence of our democracy."
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