Michelle Obama Shares How She ‘Felt in Her Body’ Watching the East Wing Being Demolished

The former first lady gave her candid response to President Donald Trump’s decision to tear down the White House’s East Wing in favor of his $300 million ballroom

• Michelle Obama shared her thoughts about the East Wing demolition on the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast
• She reflected on the loss of national traditions and questioned the values and norms of the country
• The modern-day East Wing, built in 1942, is being replaced with a $300 million ballroom under Donald Trump’s administration

Former first lady Michelle Obama got candid about her response to seeing the East Wing of the White House being demolished.

President Donald Trump previously ordered the East Wing, including the office of the First Lady, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden and more, to be demolished in favor of putting in his $300 million ballroom.

During a Tuesday, Nov. 25, appearance on the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, Obama, who served as the first lady alongside her husband, former President Barack Obama, from 2009 to 2017, shared her feelings while seeing the demolition take place.

“What did it feel like for you and your body when you saw the East Wing being demolished?” host Kern Lima asked Obama.

The mother of two noted, “It’s not about me, it’s about us and our traditions and what they stand for. I think in my body I felt confusion because I’m like, ‘Well, who are we? What do we value and who decides that?’ ”

The concept of reevaluating the nation in the wake of the current administration has been on the former first lady’s mind.

“That’s the thing that’s going through my head a lot lately. ‘Who are we? What are the rules?’ ” she expressed. “Because I’m confused by what are our norms and our mores, not the laws, but how do we live together? That’s the part of it that hurts. It’s not the house …  I’m just, you know, just trying to understand the assignment. And so I think I felt a loss for us as a nation.”

And while she might feel one way about what the demolition might symbolize on a grand scale, Obama said that it wasn’t like seeing her own house being torn down.

“Personally, you know, that’s not our house,” she explained. “That’s the People’s House.”

Back in October, the White House confirmed that the East Wing was being demolished.

“President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense. These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told PEOPLE at the time.