Michelle Obama reveals biggest fear of Trump’s second term

Michelle Obama has revealed her biggest fear during Donald Trump’s second term, just as the president marked his 100th day back in office.

The former First Lady has been keeping a low profile since the Republican billionaire beat Kamala Harris, despite Obama’s own efforts on the campaign trail.

But in the latest episode of “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” with host Shetty and Obama’s older brother Craig Robinson, she spoke on a range of subjects including Trump.

Asked what her greatest fear was, Obama replied: “Well, in this current climate, for me it’s, you know, what’s happening to immigrants.”

“So it’s not the fear for myself anymore. I drive around in a four-car motorcade with a police escort. I’m Michelle Obama. I do still worry about my daughters in the world, even though they are somewhat recognizable.”

“So, my fears are for what I know is happening out there in streets all over the city.”

As Trump hits his 100th day as president, the White House is expected to provide an update on his sweeping deportation efforts. Since the start of his second term, Trump pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and reverse his predecessor’s policies while re-instituting harsh measures to deter asylum seekers and other refugees.

“And now that we have leadership that is, sort of, indiscriminately determining who belongs and who doesn’t, and we know that those decisions aren’t being made with courts and with due process,” Obama said.

She then made a reference to an incident in her brother’s childhood when he was pulled over by a police officer for “not looking like someone who belongs” at age 12.

“Knowing that there is so much bias and so much racism and so much ignorance that fuels those kinds of choices – I worry for people of color all over this country, and I don't know that we will have the advocates to protect everybody, and that makes me, that frightens me.

“It keeps me up at night,” she added.

Obama explained that she tries to place herself in the minds of everyday people and what they may be feeling amid the changes under Trump’s leadership.

Shetty then asked what she then “does with that fear”. Obama said she practises “reverse messaging” to avoid getting “locked in with the disappointment over what is happening right now”, adding that “it can eat you up.”

She said in her position as former First Lady and a representative of America, she “couldn’t afford to have that much disdain,” adding that she had to remind herself that “the ideals and beliefs that [she] disagrees with are not pervasive.”

Obama drilled home the importance of staying true to your values in a “confusing era”, adding that cynicism was not the answer.

Though she admitted she “can be cynical in these hard times,” it was important to harness her platform and voice to instill optimism rather than pessimism. She encouraged others to do the same.