In a presentation Wednesday night to promote her book “Becoming,” former First Lady Michelle Obama suggested President Donald Trump has lowered the presidential “bar.”
Speaking to a posh crowd at Barclays Center in New York City, Michelle spent most of the evening talking about high fashion with actress Sarah Jessica Parker but also took some shots at Trump while suggesting former President Barack Obama faced higher expectations than Trump — and met them.
Former president Barack Obama waves with his wife Michelle as they board Special Air Mission 28000, a Boeing 747 which serves as Air Force One, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. Jan. 20, 2017. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
“Often time, when you’re the first or the only, the bar shifts a lot, right? The bar gets set, you meet it, exceed it, they move the bar, and we’re watching that right now — the bar’s just swinging, and swinging,” she told the crowd, according to the Associated Press. (RELATED: Michelle Obama Describes Feelings About Trump Inauguration: ‘Bye Felicia’)
Michelle suggested that the “swinging bar” had something to do with avoiding legal entanglements while president.
“It’s a totally new bar — never seen this bar before, ever,” she said. “But when we were in office, our bar was very different — not getting indicted, and telling the truth.”
US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump along with former US president Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama attend the funeral service for former US president George H. W. Bush at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC on Dec. 5, 2018. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Michelle then joked with the audience about Trump’s current predicaments: “This is going to reported on — ‘Michelle Obama throwing shade,’” she said as the audience roared with laughter, according to AP. “These are just facts!” (RELATED: Michelle Obama Mocks Melania Trump For Doing The Same Thing She Did In 2009)
In the pre-release publicity for her book, Obama wondered how Americans could have voted for “misogynist” Trump when there was “exceptionally qualified” Hillary Clinton in the race. She also said that she could “never forgive” Trump for questioning whether Barack Obama was born in the United States.
“Becoming” has sold more than 3 million copies since its release last month.