Michelle Obama Once Said Donald Trump Is Like a ‘Divorced Dad’ and It Backfired

Michelle Obama, known for her poise and thoughtfulness, once found herself in hot waters after making a controversial comparison between Donald Trump and a ‘divorced dad.’ The former First Lady remarked during a London event with Stephen Colbert, where she was promoting her best-selling memoir, Becoming. While her comment was intended as a light-hearted jab, it ignited backlash from prominent figures. During the interview, Obama likened the then state of America under Trump’s leadership to that of a teenager navigating life after a divorce.

As per USA Today, she quipped, "And we come from a broken family. We're a teenager, we're a little unsettled, and having good parents is tough. Sometimes you spend weekends with a divorced dad, that feels like it's fun, but then you get sick— that's what America is going through. We're kind of living with divorced dad right now." In another dig, she opined, “We were always ourselves– the presidency does not change who you are, it reveals who you are. It is like swimming in the ocean with great waves. If you are not a great swimmer, you are not going to learn in the middle of a tidal wave. You are going to resort to your kicking and drowning and what you knew how to do in the pool.”

However, critics slammed her for perpetuating negative stereotypes about divorced fathers. CNN's Dana Bash deemed Obama's choice of words "remarkably un-woke," whereas, Geraldo Rivera, a Fox News correspondent and divorced father himself, criticized, “She's equating...she's reduced (divorced fathers) to a sexist stereotype with a bad parent who gives candy and lets the kids watch too much TV because we have a guilty conscience about the breakup of the marriage.”

Writer Jordan Shapiro also condemned Obama's comments. He wrote, “(Obama's) decision to perpetuate the divorced dad stigma is unfortunate. It not only undermines millions of unmarried fathers who are trying to do what’s best for their children but also reinforces a way of conceptualizing family life that does more harm than good,” as reported by People Magazine.

Netizens also flocked to voice against Obama. A disappointed father penned, "I'm a divorced dad who loves his kids and is every bit of a good parent as a divorced mom. I generally don't like Trump and did like you, but you've shown that you can say just as rude and insensitive comment as Trump." In agreement, another user added, "As a divorced dad that gives my all to my daughter each and every weekend, I gotta ask...come again!" In a similar vein, dad @Jason Catena, opined, "As a divorced dad, I do my best to raise my son into a kind of man of which we all can be proud. Your comments don't help people see that I'm conscientious and competent [enough] to do a good job."