Michelle Obama complains living in White House was expensive: 'You're paying for every bit of food you eat'

Former first lady Michelle Obama got heavily trolled as a clip from her podcast, where she was seen complaining about the cost of living in the White House, went viral. In 'The Diary of a CEO' podcast, Michelle said though you don't have to pay for living in the White House, every bit of the food is on you - prompting backlash from social media users on how out-of-touch she could be.

“How do you raise kids in the White House? It’s dangerous,” Michelle Obama said. “As the first black potential president, we knew there would be death threats … how would we afford it? Because it’s expensive to live in the White House, as many people don’t know.”

“I mean, much is not covered,” she added. “You’re paying for every food, every bit of food that you eat, you know, you’re not paying for housing and the staff in it … but everything, even travel, if you’re not traveling with the president, if you’re kids are coming on a Bright Star, which is the first lady’s plane, we had to pay for their travel to be on the plane.”

Poor Michelle Obama! How did she manage to live under such oppression? And now she only has a $10 million Martha’s Vineyard mansion! Who can function like that?

At least she didn’t have to suffer as much as Meghan Markle whose castle was too small.
pic.twitter.com/duJT98ZTBx

— Tricia Flanagan (R-NJ) (@NewDayForNJ) May 2, 2025

Michelle Obama complains “it’s expensive to live in The White House.”

“Many people don’t know I mean much is not covered. You’re paying for every bit of food you eat.”

pic.twitter.com/Ng3FU3EZ2z

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 2, 2025

Michelle Obama’s claim that living in the White House was ‘expensive’ because she had to pay for her own food is a jaw-dropping display of privilege that’s hard to stomach. Let’s break this down. While the First Family does cover personal expensed
they also had a $400,000… pic.twitter.com/kUr9jkfqiz

— Hosna ⚖️ (@DOGEQEEN) May 3, 2025

61-year-old Michelle Obama complains that it was “expensive to live in the White House.”

Barack earned $400K a year as president for eight years. The Obamas entered the White House with a net worth of $1.3 million. The Obamas are now worth around $70 million. pic.twitter.com/gDgtAdhUZ6

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 3, 2025

“What are we to make of a person who has risen to that great height who appears so dissatisfied with it?”@mikeroweworks on Michelle Obama now complaining about how expensive it is to live in White House.

Watch below:https://t.co/F96HgI8fyu pic.twitter.com/DrhfQIBWG7

— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) May 2, 2025

“It is an expensive proposition, and you’re running for two years and not earning an income, so all of that was in my mind, um, how would we manage this."

People called out the entitlement and raised questions over how the net worth of the Obamas ballooned if they were struggling so much. "Barack earned $400K a year as president for eight years. The Obamas entered the White House with a net worth of $1.3 million. The Obamas are now worth around $70 million," one wrote.

Also read: Meghan McCain slammed for calling Michelle Obama a 'negative' person: Be your dad's daughter

Right-wing commentator Megyn Kelly mocked Michelle Obama's claims of "struggle", questioning her portrayal of life in the White House. Kelly contrasted it with Donald Trump's reportedly welcoming demeanor, noting how guests easily stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom and were offered ice cream, implying Michelle exaggerated the challenges of her experience.