First Lady to-be Melania Trump is taking much-needed jabs at former President Barack Obama for withholding crucial information during the transition period following President-elect Donald Trump’s election. She accused the former first family, including former First Lady Michelle Obama, of not being fully transparent. In a candid remark during an interview with Fox News, Melania suggested that the Obamas’ refusal to cooperate was a deliberate attempt to undermine her husband’s administration’s ability to hit the ground running. Her comment sheds light on the behind-the-scenes tensions that marked the 2016 election aftermath, highlighting the contrast between the Trump team’s determination to lead and the Obamas’ reluctance to offer a smooth transition of power. Melania’s words resonate with many Americans who believe the political elites prioritized their own agendas over the nation’s well-being.
Melania said this time would be different. The difference is that I know where I will be going, the rooms where we will be living, and the process.”
“The first time was challenging. We didn’t have much of the information,” Melania stated. “The information was [withheld] from us from the previous administration… So it’s a very different transition this time around.”
“I have the plans. I already packed them, and I have selected the furniture. So it’s a very different transition this time, the second time around,” she continued.
Michelle Obama has already said she won’t attend Trump’s second inauguration. However, her husband, Obama, confirmed he would be at Trump’s January 20 swearing-in ceremony. According to the Daily Mail, Michelle told allies that she refuses to “be fake” by appearing to welcome Trump’s incoming presidency. On the contrary, Obama has said he supports the “unity” the new administration promises to bring.
Melania was confident that the next four years would be exciting, adding that her husband has “a lot to do to get the country back in shape.”
She also mentioned that critics made it clear they didn’t take her seriously, which Melania says she felt during Trump’s first presidency.
“I just feel that people didn’t accept me. Maybe they didn’t understand me the way maybe they do now. And I didn’t have much support,” she said. “Maybe some people see me as just a wife of the president, but I’m standing on my own two feet, independent. I have my own thoughts, I have my own, ‘yes’ and ‘no.’”