This Is the Reason Michelle Obama Was Giving Side-Eye in That Infamous Pic from the Inauguration

Way back in January during President Trump’s Inauguration, there were all sorts of surprising moments. While some people accused the President of plagiarizing Bane, others spent time monitoring every move the outgoing first family was making. Barack Obama’s touching gestures in support of former FLOTUS Michelle were highlighted, and the then-first lady became a meme of her own after a photographer snapped a funny-looking picture. Turns out, however, she had something else on her mind than what everyone initially assumed.

Michelle Obama's side eye was the best thing about #InaugurationDay2017 😂👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/OPPomuFD5c

— Nicole Hollinger (@NicoleHollinger) January 21, 2017

While fans had a field day assuming the worst about Michelle Obama’s face in that infamous Trump White House arrival, turns out she was actually thinking about her kids and not the incoming administration. During the American Institute of Architects conference, Obama explained what happened in that moment and why it only appears that she was side-eyeing the incoming FLOTUS.

“That moment of transition, right before the doors opened and we welcomed in the new family,” Michelle explained, “Our kids were leaving out the back door in tears, saying goodbye to people. I didn’t want to have tears in my eyes because people would swear I was crying because of the new president.”

So, contrary to many people’s assumptions, Obama was not throwing the ultimate shade, but feeling a mother’s love for her two kids who grew up with the staff at the White House and were having a hard time saying goodbye to their old life.

Have you ever had a difficult time during a family move? Tell us about it @BritandCo!

(h/t HelloGiggles; photo via Gerardo Morra/Getty)