Former First Lady Michelle Obama issued a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump and his brash brand of politics on Saturday, sharing with an audience her frustration with the failure of men and her perplexity over how women could allow Trump's ascendancy.
Speaking at the United State of Women Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday, Obama remarked, without mentioning Trump by name, that she was tired of watching "men fail up" and then be given a chance to seize power.
"What is going on in our heads where we let that happen?" she asked regarding Trump's unlikely victory in 2016.
She also voiced her frustration with women who supported Trump's candidacy, given his history of sexism and Hillary Clinton's status as "the most qualified person."
"I wish that girls could fail as bad as men do, and be OK," she said, "because let me tell you, watching men fail up — it is frustrating. It's frustrating to see a lot of men blow it and win. And we hold ourselves to these crazy, crazy standards."
Obama also shared her secret to coping with difficult political times, such as the current period of uncertainty and unrest. She told the audience that her secret was spending time with her children, because to her, there is nothing more important.
"That's what this is all for," she said. "...Because of them we can't give up. What choice do we have? What future am I passing on to my girls and all our kids if I wake up and I'm hopeless? There is no use in that. All we have is hope."
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