The close relationship between former first lady Michelle Obama and ex-President George W. Bush has gotten a great deal of attention in recent years, but Obama told his daughter Jenna Bush Hager in an interview airing Wednesday, they do not always see eye-to-eye.
"He's a beautiful, funny, kind, sweet man, and I don't know that I agree with him on everything," Obama said in the the NBC "Today" interview, adding she thinks people like to see their friendship because of all the "nasty parts" of the current political discourse that are shown in the media.
"I guess we've become a culture where the nasty sells, so people are just gonna keep feeding that, but the truth is much more complicated and complex than that," Obama said. "I'd love if we as a country could get back to the place where we didn't demonize people who disagreed with us, because that's essentially the difference between Republicans and Democrats. We're all Americans."
She also said during the interview she appreciates Jenna Bush Hager and her twin sister, Barbara Bush, for taking their time to give her daughters, Sasha and Malia, a tour of the White House.
"You made them feel excited about this strange and scary thing that was about to happen to them," Obama said, agreeing it was difficult hearing people criticizing her daughters.
"You want your kids to grow up normal," she said. "You want them to be able to have the wonderful experiences privately, and you want them to be able to fail and stumble privately – like any other kids. And when they're not allowed to do that, it's unfair, and you feel guilty about it. You know? Because they didn't choose this life."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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