Former first lady Michelle Obama lashed out at President Trump for refusing to concede the presidential election and assist in an orderly transition to President-elect Joe Biden.
Writing to Instagram on Monday, Obama said it is Trump’s duty to “respect the results” of the election, which the Associated Press and other media outlets called for Biden more than one week ago.
“Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like them or wish it had gone differently — the presidency doesn’t belong to any one individual or any one party,” Obama wrote. “To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theories — whether for personal or political gain — is to put our country’s health and security in danger.”
Obama warned that Trump, who continues to challenge the results of the election, is treating the election process like a “game.”
On Sunday, Trump said the election was “rigged” and that Biden “only won in the eyes of the fake news media” before saying he would not concede.
“This isn’t a game,” Obama said. “So I want to urge all Americans, especially our nation’s leaders, regardless of party, to honor the electoral process and do your part to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history.”
Obama said she and her husband put aside personal differences with the Trumps in an effort to provide a “seamless” transition of power.
“One of the great responsibilities of the presidency is to listen when they do,” Obama said. “So my husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power — one of the hallmarks of American democracy.”
