A resurfaced clip of Michelle Obama speaking with Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast is going viral again, with social media users calling the former First Lady a “hypocrite” over a comment she made about her security guard carrying a gun, despite her long-standing support for stricter gun laws.
The interview originally aired in May 2025, and the comment came after the IMO podcast host said she prefers using cash and physical cards instead of Apple Pay. She explained that she isn’t worried about carrying cash because she has an armed security guard with her at all times, even though she’s no longer living in the White House. That remark quickly became the focus of online criticism, with many accusing her of “hypocrisy” and double standards due to her stance on gun reform. Keep reading for more details…
Michelle Obama Says She Isn’t Afraid Of Carrying Cash Because Of Her Armed Security Guard
In the resurfaced clip, the Becoming author said she’s “trying not to do stuff on my phone” because she’s concerned about being tracked, which includes using services like Apple Pay.
Poehler replied: “We’re all tracked. We’re all cooked. There’s no way not to be. Everyone knows everything.” Obama, author of The Look, then joked: “When all things fall apart, when the system crashes, I’m still going to have cash. I have cash in my wallet untouched probably for a decade.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that to the world,” the mom-of-two added. “But I guess I’m good because I also have this security guy with a gun.”
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Michelle Obama's Previous Stance On Guns
Obama has spoken in favor of stronger gun laws for many years, which is why social media accused her of hypocrisy. In 2013, she publicly backed then-President Barack Obama's push for gun reform, saying during a speech in Chicago: "Right now, my husband is fighting as hard as he can and engaging as many people as he can to pass common-sense reforms to protect our children from gun violence."
Obama continued to advocate for stricter gun laws in 2018 following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed. She voiced her support for the student activists campaigning for gun reform, writing on X that the movement would take "unyielding courage and endurance," adding that she and her husband were "behind [the students] every step of the way." Barack Obama also praised the students, calling them "smart" and "fearless" for standing up for their right to be safe.
Obama continued advocating for tighter firearm restrictions in 2023, telling CBS Mornings: "We are the only developed country on the planet where its citizens can have unfettered access to firearms. That is not a good thing."
There is, however, one notable exception. In 2016, she suggested she wasn't totally opposed to owning a gun in certain circumstances. During a 2016 CNN town hall, per Time, the former president said that his wife could be interested in a "shotgun or a rifle" for safety reasons if she was "living in a farmhouse where the sheriff’s department is pretty far away, and somebody can just turn off the highway and come up to the farm." However, many social media users appeared to overlook those earlier comments.
Internet Reactions
Social media reactions ranged from trolling her over her comments about being tracked to accusing her of hypocrisy for relying on an armed security guard.
"Aw. She thinks she's not being tracked. That's precious," joked one X user. "Someone should let her know that 'security guy with a gun' literally tracks her everywhere she goes," quipped a second.
"Doesn't want to be tracked. Literally shows up for any podcast. Has Secret Service tracking her every move," echoed a third, as a fourth concurred: "She stupid. If you have a phone, you are tracked. If you have a modern car with GPS, you are tracked."
"This seems like a good time to remind everyone that Michelle and her husband Barry want to take guns away from American peasants while they enjoy the safety afforded them by having armed security," noted a fifth.
"Oh so guns are good now?" asked a sixth, as a seventh slammed: "Typical Dem... rules for thee. Guns are bad except when they protect me, walls are bad except when they're around my mansion, sea levels are rising but I'll buy a beachside mansion..."
"So guns for her protection are fine. For the peasants, not so much. Hypocrite," agreed an eighth. "That's right. She should have guns to protect her, she just doesn't want YOU to be able to protect yourself," commented a ninth, while a tenth chimed in: "Two-faced. Guns for me, not for thee. What an embarrassment as a former FLOTUS."
"The anti-gun matriarch having a whole team of armed men protecting her is the epitome of hypocrisy. Delusional," criticized an eleventh. "Will never take anything these clowns say seriously after this," said a twelfth.
