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“Who are we supporting in it?”
She then added a line that quickly became the focal point of conservative criticism.
“I think if you have the money to buy Chanel, then you have the money to buy everybody.”
The clip spread rapidly online, and the reaction from the Right was immediate and intense.
Conservatives point to a glaring double standard
Many on the Right argue that the reaction would have been dramatically different if a Republican figure had made the same statement. Commentators quickly asked readers to imagine the fallout if Melania Trump had publicly stated she avoided minority owned brands.
Conservatives say cable news would have exploded with nonstop coverage. Editorial boards would have framed it as proof of systemic bigotry. Democratic lawmakers would have demanded hearings and public apologies.
Instead, they argue, Obama’s remarks were largely ignored or defended by the same media institutions that aggressively police similar comments from conservatives.
To many on the Right, the silence spoke volumes.
Timing could not be worse for Democrats
Obama’s comments landed at a moment when race based decision making is under intense legal and political scrutiny.
In June 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously that so called reverse discrimination claims should not face a higher legal bar than traditional discrimination cases. That ruling has already reshaped how courts evaluate race based policies.
Earlier this year, Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, alleging that the company tied executive compensation to racial quotas. Similar cases are popping up nationwide as companies pull back from diversity programs that rely explicitly on race.
Against that backdrop, conservatives say Obama’s on camera admission that she considers race when deciding where to spend money is especially damaging.
A pattern critics say goes back years
For conservatives, this controversy did not come out of nowhere. They point to past stories shared by Obama and her husband as part of a broader narrative portraying America as fundamentally racist.
In 2014, Obama claimed a Target employee mistook her for a worker and asked her to retrieve an item. She later described the moment as evidence that racial discrimination is “the regular course of life” for African Americans.
Critics argued at the time that the employee may simply not have recognized the First Lady, who was reportedly wearing a hat and sunglasses.
Former President Barack Obama has shared similar anecdotes, including a story about being mistaken for wait staff at a formal event despite wearing a tuxedo.
To conservatives, these stories were used to reinforce a worldview in which race explains nearly every interaction.
Unity rhetoric versus personal practice
During her eight years in the White House, Michelle Obama cultivated an image of unity and optimism. She championed initiatives focused on children’s health, fitness, and education, often positioning herself above partisan warfare.
But critics argue that the latest remarks undermine that image.
They say choosing businesses based on the owner’s skin color is discrimination, regardless of the intent or political framing. Dressing it up as empowerment does not change the underlying principle.
Conservatives insist that equality means judging individuals and businesses on merit, not race. They argue that celebrating discrimination simply because it favors approved groups is not progress.
To them, the controversy reveals a deeper hypocrisy.
Lectures about unity, fairness, and moving beyond division ring hollow, they say, when paired with admissions that race plays a central role in personal decision making.
And this time, conservatives are making it clear they are no longer willing to let it slide.
