Michelle Obama Slams Trump in New Memoir

MIchelle Obama's new memoir Becoming looks back at high points in her life, including the "toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfillment, wonder" when Barack first kissed her—and low points, including the election of President Trump. In an advance copy seen by the AP, the former first lady writes that she tried to "block it all out" when she realized Trump would succeed her husband. She writes that she thought Trump was merely "grandstanding" when he announced his White House run in 2015, and that she "buzzed with fury" when she heard him boast about grabbing women in the Access Hollywood tape. She says Trump's "birther" campaign years before the election was a bigoted move "deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks."

Obama also writes openly about her struggles during her husband's years in politics, including the difficulty of balancing public and private lives. She says she sensed a perception that she was "disgruntled and vaguely hostile," and knew she would be labeled "other" as the nation's first black first lady. She writes that she would say to herself: "Am I good enough? Yes I am." Becoming will be released Tuesday, when Obama will kick off a 10-city book tour with an event at Chicago's United Center moderated by Oprah Winfrey, USA Today reports. (The Obamas have a deal with Netflix as well as a joint book deal.)