Former first lady Michelle Obama put to rest any rumors that she’ll run for office in the future, telling an audience in Orlando, Florida, that she has no interest in the task.
During a speech at the American Institute of Architecture convention, Obama said being in the White House wasn’t easy for her family and she “wouldn’t ask my children to do this again,” CNN reported.
Thursday's speech was the first address delivered by Obama since leaving the White House, and cameras were not permitted in the venue. Rather than serving in public office, Obama said she will focus on making a difference as a private citizen
“It’s good to get out of the house,” she said. “So far so good — it hasn’t been that long since we left. ... It’s good to not have the weight of the world upon your shoulders.”
Moving forward, Obama said she wants to focus on working with young girls and women facing challenges regarding education, health, income inequality, and violence.
While living in the White House was certainly a daunting task at times, Obama said the transition away from the executive mansion wasn’t easy.
She said her final day in the White House was bittersweet because it was the place she had lived the longest in her entire life. She said her daughters, Sasha and Malia, went out the back door crying while incoming President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump came in the front door.
“I didn't want to have tears in my eyes for the new president,” Obama said.
The Obamas have not been in the public eye too much since leaving the White House. In addition to the former first lady, former President Barack Obama this week gave his first public speech since leaving the Oval Office.
It was also reported Tuesday that Barack Obama will deliver a speech to Wall Street bankers at a health care conference in September. He is slated to receive a $400,000 paycheck for the address.
For what it’s worth, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, said she is “troubled” by reports that the former president will be paid nearly half a million dollars to speak to Wall Street executives.
The influence of money is “a snake that slithers through Washington and ... it shows up in so many different ways here in Washington,” Warren said.
