Michelle Obama reveals astonishing new reason why she skipped Trump's inauguration amid Barack divorce rumors
Barack was intriguingly on his own when he attended both Jimmy Carter's funeral and Trump's inauguration, which took place just weeks apart in January.
The former first lady said it was a choice she made 'for herself', but has now shed new light on the decision.
'It started with not having anything to wear,' Michelle said in her latest podcast episode, 'IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson.'
'I mean, cause I'm always prepared for any funeral, anything,' Obama added. 'I walk around with the right dress, I travel with clothes just in case something pops off.
'So I was like, if I'm not going to do this thing, I got to tell my team, I don't even want to have a dress ready, right?'
By refusing to even pack the appropriate clothes, Michelle knew she was preventing herself from taking the easy route and 'just saying, let me do the right thing [and attend].'
Michelle said she was stunned that a decision she made for herself led to such intense speculation about her 32-year marriage.
'My decision to skip the inauguration... or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism,' she said.
'People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart, you know?'
She encouraged young women to 'practise... the art of saying no,' revealing it is like a 'muscle [she is] just now starting to build.'
'After all that I've done in this world, if… I still have to show people that I love my country, that I'm doing the right thing... all I'm doing is keeping that crazy bar that our mothers and grandmothers set for us.'
Her latest comments come amid a charm offensive to dispel rumors of marital problems.
The couple made a show of unity at the weekend when they were spotted on a romantic date night at one of their favorite Italian restaurants in Washington DC.
They were all smiles as they made their way through the busy Osteria Mozza in Georgetown on the weekend, stopping to wave at patrons as they swatted away rumors of marital woes.
Barack shook hands with a worker at the Italian eatery, where a main course ranges between $34 to $175.
And the former first lady addressed the speculation during a recent interview with actress Sophia Bush for an episode of her podcast Work in Progress.
'That's the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people,' she said.
'So much so that this year people were, you know, they couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.
'That this couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?'
Her 61st birthday was three days before the inauguration.
But at the time, reports swirled that Michelle couldn't stand the thought of fake niceties with Trump.
At Carter's funeral, Barack was seen laughing and cozying up to Trump.
The duo shared a warm interaction ahead of the service, having a whispered conversation with one another in a moment which set the internet alight.
'It did look very friendly, I must say,' Trump later said.
But according to a source who spoke to Page Six, Michelle wasn't interested in playing nice with Trump.
'She's never been fake and she's never been phony. She's always been very deliberate about where and how she shows up,' the source said.
'She showed up reluctantly for the election. They were united, but she doesn't have to unify around [Trump]. She doesn't have to say anything.
'Her absence speaks volumes.'
When she missed Carter's funeral, it was immediately cleared up that she had a 'scheduling conflict' which prevented her from attending. She was enjoying an extended holiday in Hawaii at the time.
Her decision not to attend Trump's inauguration historically would have been seen as a monumental snub given all former presidents and first ladies have attended the following inauguration - even for the president of the opposite party - unless they were suffering from health issues.
But Trump himself blew up that modern precedent four years ago when he refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his successor, President Joe Biden.
First lady Melania Trump also skipped Biden's inauguration.
Kid Rock was among outspoken critics of her decision, telling Fox at the time: 'I would kindly remind [Michelle] that years back when Obama was first elected I did not vote for him but they asked me to play the inauguration.
'I played it, I went, I had a good time. I went out of respect to the presidency, I would kindly remind Miss Michelle about that.'
The Obamas – who met as young lawyers working for the same Chicago firm in 1989 – celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in October and shared a photo of them hugging each other at a museum in New York.
'I couldn't have asked for a better partner and friend to go through life with,' Barack wrote in a message accompanying the photo.
She echoed the sentiment, adding: '32 action-packed years with my honey! Through it all, thank you for always having my back, being by my side, and finding ways to make me smile. I love you, @Barack Obama.'
They also attempted to quash speculation about their marriage by posting a romantic selfie smiling and embracing on Instagram for Valentine's Day.
'Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away. Happy Valentine's Day, Michelle Obama!' the Democrat wrote in a social media caption.
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