Michelle Obama reveals her biggest fear for America right now and what makes ‘going high’ challenging

Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson discuss how they navigate fears during a second Trump presidency.

Amid a second Trump presidency that has included unprecedented federal layoffs, a tariff war, and widespread attacks on DEI and immigrants, Michelle Obama has one fear.

During a recent appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcast, “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” with her brother Craig Robinson, the former first lady opened up about what keeps her up at night. 

The topic came up as the trio discussed past experiences they’ve had with feeling discriminated against. When Robinson recalled a time when he was 10 or 12 and was stopped by police and erroneously accused of stealing the bicycle he was riding, Obama said she worries that kind of profiling could happen to others at greater frequency now. 

Rather than fear for her own personal safety amid this climate, because of her status as the former First Lady, she said, “In this current climate, for me, it’s what’s happening to immigrants.”

“My fears are what I know is happening out there in streets all over the city. 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.”

Referencing her brother’s story, the author said authorities and the administration are making those decisions using judgements like “‘You don’t look like somebody that belongs,’ you know, ‘I can determine just by looking at you that you’re … a good person or you’re not a good person.’” 

She added, “There’s 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.”

Shetty asked both Obama and Robinson how they navigate that fear, which can become overwhelming, and a way he suspects many others are currently feeling. 

Robinson said he was still in an educational mode with two young teens at home. He’s been teaching his children how empathy can be the key, especially for our “enemies.”

“Our mom always said, ‘Just put yourself in the other guy’s shoes. He’s probably had a bad upbringing, an ignorant upbringing. His folks didn’t know anything.’ And that’s how I always viewed people who treated me with disdain because of my race or because of where I’m from,” he said. “It’s a good reminder to talk about this and put some coping strategies together for especially our teenagers because they’re going to they’re going to encounter this at some point.”

Even though it could be easy to let the “disappointments” of the current climate cause one to become cynical or act out of anger and fear, Obama said she has to force herself to stay out of that kind of headspace. 

“We’re in a confusing time, but it doesn’t help me, and it doesn’t help the country for me to grow cynical in that space,” she said. “So I kind of view it as a duty as a citizen to not do the same thing that they’re doing and start making assumptions about people based on my anger and fear.” 

Obama added that despite the discourse, she believes deep down most people don’t want their neighbors to “live in fear,” they simply do not understand what it feels like “to be the target.” 

“But if they knew, they would understand,” she continued. “Which is why communication and conversation is so important because maybe if I can tell a story, if I can help them be in the shoes of someone, and it can have that same empathizing effect, I’d rather use that than to become discouraged and then suspicious and just do what they’re doing. I don’t want to become that.” 

However, she admitted even for her it can be challenging to stick to one of her best-known mantras: “When they go low, we go high.”

“Let me tell you, I can be cynical, and I can be all of that,” she teased. “Because in these times it’s hard. No one is perfect, but I try to keep that to my kitchen table.”