Michelle Obama Jokes That ‘Women Are Smarter Than Men,’ Men Don’t Get It

You can tell she's joking because she rolls her eyes and laughs

Michelle Obama jokingly said Wednesday that “women are smarter than men” during a conversation about girls’ education with former First Lady Laura Bush and journalist Cokie Roberts at the U.S-Africa’s Leader’s Summit Wednesday.

The comment comes around the 2:00 mark, when she and Bush are discussing how countries that oppress women are often countries that are struggling economically. “We can’t waste this spotlight,” Obama said, on the experience of being First Lady. “It is temporary, and life is short, and change is needed, and women are smarter than men.” You can tell she’s joking because of the eye roll, the eyebrow raise, and the fact that the audience laughed after she said it. “And the men can’t complain because you’re outnumbered today,” she continued.

There’s a moment after she says it where she’s probably thinking “oh crap, I’m going to hear about this later.”

And hear about it she did. Men of the internet did not seem to get that Obama was joking:

Why is our First Lady making sexist comments in public?–Michelle Obama: 'Women Are Smarter Than Men' buff.ly/1tZctEL— 
Armin Brott (@mrdad) August 07, 2014

Michelle Obama: ‘Women are smarter than men’. When Larry Summers said vice versa, he got fired from Harvard. politico.com/story/2014/08/…— 
Edmund Moy (@EdmundCMoy) August 07, 2014

Michelle Obama's "WAR ON MEN!!"breitbart.com/Big-Government… #tcot— 
✞♕In God I Trust♕✞ (@InGodIDoTrust) August 06, 2014

Wow! So she is racist AND sexist!
Michelle Obama: 'Women Are Smarter Than Men'.tiny.iavian.net/2ois— 
Cain (@TheMightyCain) August 06, 2014

Imagine if a man had made the reverse statement.#WarOnMen RT @sunnyright: First Lady: "Women are smarter than men" twitter.com/markknoller/st…— 
Steve Klein (@SteveKlein62) August 06, 2014