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Malia Obama Crying Is All Of Us, Really

by Allison Piwowarski

On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama gave his final address as the President of the United States. It was emotional for a lot of us watching at home, but there was one particular person in the audience who, fairly, was hit hard by his words. Malia Obama was crying at President Obama's farewell address, and honestly, can you blame her?

The words spoken by Obama in the final days of his presidency were words of hope. Really, it made sense. In the past eight years, he has built a country on hope. Right now, there might not be a ton of hope for the future of the government for some. With this, that, and the other thing coming out about President-elect Trump, people are desperately trying to hold on to these final days with Obama as president. While things might not have been perfect throughout the presidency, there is no doubt that he will be missed by many.

Which brings us to Malia Obama. The eldest Obama daughter. At the event, Malia was seen wiping away tears as her father stood in front of thousands of people (and an entire country watching at home) and made his final address. As a millennial woman, I get it. As a daughter who is immensely proud of her father, I get it. Malia is all of us watching Obama's final words before leaving office. She has many reasons to cry. For the eight years her father pioneered our country through a recession and a war, and for the future as a woman.

The incredible thing about Malia Obama (and her sister Sasha, who was absent from the final farewell address) is that she grew up in front of America. We watched her enter the White House eight years younger. As a young woman who literally came into her own and found her way in front of the entire world.

So, while she's crying for Obama (and, OK, I'm wiping away a tear, too), let's all cry for the entire family leaving us. A family that built their name on going high when being hit low. Whether you agree with their politics or not, one thing you can't argue against is that Obama portrayed a bullying president. Now, the president following him will be expected to do the same, whether he likes it or not.