‘This is not a game’: Michelle Obama hits out over Trump’s refusal to concede and the racist lies he told endangering her family

The former first lady said that ‘one of the great responsibilities of the presidency’ is to respect the results of elections

Michelle Obama has urged Donald Trump to respect the results of the election, telling him that it is "not a game" and reminding him: "Democracy is so much bigger than anybody’s ego."

The former first lady wrote on Instagram about her own experiences four years ago, and the lessons they held for today.

Ms Obama, 56, said that she was "hurt and disappointed" by the 2016 result, noting that Hillary Clinton lost by a much smaller margin than Mr Trump has lost by.

"But the votes had been counted and Donald Trump had won. The American people had spoken," she said.  

"And one of the great responsibilities of the presidency is to listen when they do. So my husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power - one of the hallmarks of American democracy."  

Her post, on Monday, came as Mr Trump was tweeting: "I won the Election!"

He followed up by accusing election officials across the US of conspiring to steal the White House from him, saying that massive fraud had been committed in Pennsylvania and Georgia. There is no evidence of this, and his court cases have all so far been dismissed.

Ms Obama described how Mr Trump's team was invited into the White House, and given "detailed memos" sharing their experiences over the last eight years.  

"I have to be honest and say that none of this was easy for me," she said.  

"Donald Trump had spread racist lies about my husband that had put my family in danger. That wasn’t something I was ready to forgive. But I knew that, for the sake of our country, I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside.  

"So I welcomed Melania Trump into the White House and talked with her about my experience, answering every question she had - from the heightened scrutiny that comes with being First Lady to what it’s like to raise kids in the White House."

Ms Obama and Ms Trump - with very different backgrounds, educations and ambitions - toured the White House and took tea together. Ms Obama told Ms Trump to feel free to pick up the phone any time and ask questions - an offer Ms Trump never took up.

"I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do — because our democracy is so much bigger than anybody’s ego," Ms Obama wrote.

"Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like them or wish it had gone differently — the presidency doesn’t belong to any one individual or any one party.  

"To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theories — whether for personal or political gain — is to put our country’s health and security in danger. This isn’t a game."

Ms Obama concluded by urging "all Americans, especially our nation’s leaders" to honour the electoral process and ensure a smooth transition, as they have throughout history.