Michelle Obama, wife of former president Barack Obama, is known as one of the most influential first ladies in the history of the United States. Her intelligence, grace, and warmth made her a beloved public figure around the globe.
She used her position as FLOTUS to advocate for critical things such as education, healthy eating, and support for military families. Despite her influence and power, she wasn’t allowed to do some basic things, like opening a window of her residence. And she was so annoyed by this rule that she once publicly expressed her frustration.
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When Barack Obama was serving as the President of America, Michelle once opened up about how the President and their families living in the White House have to follow strict rules. One such rule is that they aren’t allowed to open any window.
In 2015, during her appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the host asked her about what she was looking forward to after their second term ended. To this, Michelle said, “I want to do little things like, you know, open a window.”
For the unaware, the White House residents are not allowed to open the windows for security reasons. Not even the President himself has the power to do so. Michelle further told Colbert what would happen if someone were to accidentally open a window.
She said that her daughter, Sasha “opened her window once and there were calls. ‘Shut the window!’ It never opened again.”
Interestingly, that’s not the only rule that took Michelle Obama by surprise. During their tenure, she realized how expensive it is to live in the White House. She busted the myth that everything is free for them in the official residence.
While they certainly didn’t have to pay rent, all the other additional expenses were borne by themselves. If the President or his family wants an expensive meal, they’ll have to pay for it themselves.
Michelle Obama revealed the same on The Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018. She said, “They let you get whatever you want. Like if you say you want some exotic fruit, ‘Yes ma’am, we’ll get that right away,’ and then you get the bill for a peach and it’s like, that was a $500 peach.”
Even former First Lady Laura Bush once revealed how expensive it was to live in The White House.
She wrote in her memoir, “There were some costs that I was not prepared for. I was amazed by the sheer number of designer clothes that I was expected to buy, like the women before me, to meet the expectations for a first lady.”
