Fifty-three percent of white women and 42 percent of women overall voted for President Donald Trump rather than Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election. And Michelle Obama has some thoughts as to why.
The former first lady was a speaker at the Inbound marketing conference in Boston, Massachusetts, Wednesday, where she sat down for a Q&A with author Roxane Gay. During the conversation, she broached the subject of women who chose to vote for Trump instead of Clinton.
“Quite frankly we saw this in this election, as far as I’m concerned. Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice in a way,” she said. “To me, it doesn’t say as much about Hillary Clinton ― and everybody’s trying to wonder. Well, what does it mean for Hillary? ― No, no, no. What does it mean for us as women? That we look at those two candidates, as women, and many of us said, ‘That guy. He’s better for me. His voice is more true to me.’ Well, to me that just says you don’t like your voice. You like the thing you’re told to like.”
She said it is vitally important for women to value their own voices and their own selves, instead of being silenced.
She encouraged people to view obstacles and dark times they may face as lessons.
“Life teaches you great,” she said. “It gives you the ability when you encounter obstacles. That’s why I always tell young people don’t be afraid of failure, don’t be afraid of those obstacles. Those are the things that make you stronger. They make you better.”
2016 might not have been the year America elected its first female president, but Obama has hope that one day a woman will be in the Oval Office.
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