In her first on-air interview since leaving the White House, our forever First Lady sat down with Ellen DeGeneres to discuss a slew of topics, including the awkward inauguration gift exchange with Melania Trump.
In her final moments as First Lady of the United States, Obama was greeted by her successor, and given a Tiffany & Co. box as a special gift. Upon receiving the box, Obama, unknowingly, looked directly into the nearest camera and instantly became a meme to represent disinterest.
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However, Obama’s thoughts on the gift were the complete opposite. In fact, she thought the gift was “lovely,” it was the exchange that caught her off guard.
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Upon arrival, according to PEOPLE, as Melania walked up to meet Obama, a few steps behind her husband – who hadn’t helped her out of the car – she handed Obama a gift, which ultimately caught her by surprise.
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“Well, there’s all this protocol. I mean, this is like a state visit, so they tell you that you’re going to do this, they’re going to stand here. Never before do you get this gift, so I’m sort of like okay,” Obama said of the now-viral moment.
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“You brought a gift!” she said at the time, as she frantically looked for a place to put it.
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“What am I supposed to do with this gift? And everyone cleared out and no one would come and take the box. And I’m thinking do we take the picture with?” She recalled asking before her husband came to save the day. “See he grabbed the box and took it back inside. But everybody cleared out. No staff, no one. I was like what do you do with the box?”
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However, once the confusion settled, Obama was able to open her gift, which revealed a “lovely frame,” she shared with Ellen.
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