Michelle Obama may have skipped Jimmy Carter’s funeral in order to stay on vacation, but the Friday cast of ABC’s The View cheered the former first lady’s decision to also skip Donald Trump’s inauguration. Sunny Hostin claimed such pettiness was a needed correction from Michelle’s “when they go low, we go high” mantra, while Joy Behar wondered why the former presidents will dignify the event with their presence since the Germans also voted for Hitler.
Behar began by asking, “Michelle's rep issued a statement confirming that the former president will attend but not the first lady. Is she right or wrong?”
Hostin was all for it, “Yes, lord, she is so right. She is so right. You know, she gave us that when they go low, you know, we must go high and I think she's changed her tune. When they go low, you have to meet that energy and perhaps even go lower, become small like an ant and go to the Earth's crust.”
Most people would claim that unless Michelle Obama manages to get herself elected president, the presidential inauguration is not about her, but Sunny Hostin is not most people, “She said that she did not enjoy Trump's 2017 inauguration because there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage. She said there was no reflection of the broader sense of what America looks like, and many people took pictures of her, and she just wasn't in a good mood, but I want to show a clip of what she said at the DNC which I really think hits home.”
The clip showed Michelle declaring, “For years Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be black.”
Hostin reacted, “Yeah. And I think when you see that, you understand why she wouldn't go.”
Later on in the discussion, Behar turned to the former presidents, “I just want to say, this is not a normal inauguration. This is not a normal person. He's a convicted felon. Why do they go as if this is a normal inauguration? It's not.”
Sara Haines, who earlier defended Michelle’s decision to skip, actually got a bit animated, “Because the weakness it presents to the friggin' globe, when you have presidents that say just because this we’re not going to—America voted—the normalizing of President Trump happened when the American public went out and voted.”
Behar reached for her regularly scheduled Hitler analogy, “The Germans voted also, just saying.”
Ana Navarro then proceeded to shift the conversation back to Michelle Obama, “I think Michelle Obama is living her best life and I think she has learned to put herself first and put her mental health first. I think a lot of Americans that feel exactly the same way.”
After saying Michelle did her job in 2017, Navarro claimed Michelle's entitled to skip this one, “She sat through that insane speech about American carnage, all her pictures are like,” um, what am I listening to?” So, this time she's saying, "Boo, been there, done that, you're solo on this. I'm out. I'm going to do what's best for my mental health and I think she's fine to do that., you know. And, by the way – and I think every American, if watching the inaugural will be bad for your mental health, go do something that will be good for your mental health.”
There are certain responsibilities that come with being a former first lady that the average anti-Trump liberal does not have. One of those is showing up at presidential funerals, and another is attending inaugurations. Sitting through one speech by a president of the other party every four years is not that hard.
Here is a transcript for the January 17 show:
ABC The View
1/17/2025
11:01 PM ET
JOY BEHAR: Trump's favorite oligarchs -- sorry, I mean billionaires, are sure to be in attendance, but one VIP skipping the event is former First Lady Michelle Obama. Michelle's rep issued a statement. Michelle's rep issued a statement confirming that the former president will attend but not the first lady. Is she right or wrong?
SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes, lord, she is so right. She is so right. You know, she gave us that when they go low, you know, we must go high.
BEHAR: She changed that one.
HOSTIN: And I think she's changed her tune. When they go low, you have to meet that energy and perhaps even go lower, become small like an ant and go to the Earth's crust and what I will say is -- yeah, well, what I will say is she said that she did not enjoy Trump's 2017 inauguration because there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage. She said there was no reflection of the broader sense of what America looks like, and many people took pictures of her, and she just wasn't in a good mood, but I want to show a clip of what she said at the DNC which I really think hits home.
MICHELLE OBAMA: For years Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be black.
HOSTIN: Yeah. And I think when you see that, you understand why she wouldn't go
…
BEHAR: I just want to say, this is not a normal inauguration. This is not a normal person. He's a convicted felon. Why do they go as if this is a normal inauguration? It's not.
SARA HAINES: Because the weakness it presents to the friggin' globe, when you have presidents that say just because this we’re not going to—America voted—
[crosstalk]
The normalizing of President Trump happened when the American public went out and voted.
ANA NAVARRO: And let me say this.
BEHAR: The Germans voted also, just saying –
NAVARRO: I think Michelle Obama is living her best life and I think she has learned to put herself first and put her mental health first. I think a lot of Americans that feel exactly the same way, which is why news viewership and things like that have lowered, have gone down dramatically because people are checking out. I think Michelle Obama sat there, did her job when she was the outgoing first lady, when she was the outgoing first lady she had the Trumps to the White House, she was nice, she played nice, she went to the inaugural. She sat through that insane speech about American carnage, all her pictures are like,” um, what am I listening to?” So, this time she's saying, "Boo, been there, done that, you're solo on this. I'm out. I'm going to do what's best for my mental health and I think she's fine to do that., you know.
And, by the way -- and I think every American, if watching the inaugural will be bad for your mental health, go do something that will be good for your mental health.
