When considering Jacqueline Kennedy, Michelle Obama set aside her iconic style and international captivation. Instead, Mrs. Obama reflected on the former first lady’s nurturing attributes that she, too, took to heart when the Obamas were stewards of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., about 45 years after the Kennedys occupied the White House.
On Thursday, Mrs. Obama in the latest essay written for the In Pursuit series, a nonpartisan civics initiative by More Perfect, called attention to, perhaps, a lesser-known story about Mrs. Kennedy, which showed the first lady trying to make her young children feel at home inside the White House and out of the limelight.
To do so, Mrs. Obama writes that she created a functioning pre-school classroom with “child-size tables and chairs” in the White House Solarium for the Kennedys’ then 3-year-old daughter, Caroline, and other children including cousins, friends and children of other White House officials and staffers.
The ongoing essay series spotlights leadership lessons from former presidents and selected first ladies. Hillary Clinton in September wrote about Eleanor Roosevelt and how she inspired her to embrace courage over fear. Mrs. Obama’s lesson from Mrs. Kennedy was simple: We should care for this country as we would our children. Mrs. Obama acknowledges that Jacqueline Kennedy is understood by many for her “beauty and style” and for “her magnetic charisma that added to the mystique of ‘Camelot.’”
“But, I’ve come to see her as someone who designed her life at the world’s most famous address around being a mother,” she writes.
Mrs. Obama, the self-described “Mom-in-Chief” during the two-term Obama administration, related. Similarly, she writes she wanted to create an atmosphere in the White House where their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, would feel safe, confident and ultimately independent. The Secret Service were told by Mrs. Kennedy that her children were expected to tidy up after themselves and carry their own bags. Mrs. Obama shares how they, too, had their daughters “make their own beds, learn to cook, and do their own laundry.”
The caring aspect Mrs. Obama describes of Mrs. Kennedy also extended to her precedent-setting restoration of the White House through thoughtful and purposeful design reflecting and preserving the Residence’s storied history. Mrs. Kennedy’s work resulted in tracking down and restoring items or receiving donations of historical pieces, furniture and artwork. In 1961, Mrs. Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association, a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve, protect, educate and share the history of the White House.
Mrs. Obama notes how Mrs. Kennedy “had the foresight and humility to revitalize the People’s House not as an extension of herself, but as a tribute to our nation’s history.”
She goes on to quote Mrs. Kennedy: “Everything in the White House must have a reason for being there … It would be sacrilege merely to ‘redecorate’ it—a word I hate. It must be restored.”
Mrs. Obama’s essay comes after a monthslong flurry of changes inside and out of the White House during the Trump administration’s second-term. Changes first emerged when President Trump tore out the grass and installed a paver patio in Mrs. Kennedy’s originally-designed Rose Garden. Not long thereafter, President Trump demolished the White House East Wing, where first ladies worked for decades after Mrs. Kennedy’s tenure. A massive ballroom with a new East Wing suite is being built in its place. There have been other decorative changes, too, including numerous gold ornaments and embellishments in the West Wing. None of these were mentioned by Mrs. Obama, but readers in the comments didn’t lose sight of the contrast.
“I don’t know what is more striking about this essay,” one reader commented. “The historical facts that buttress her underlying argument or the tacit comparison to the decorator-in-chief currently residing in the People’s House. The quiet parts NOT said are loud and obvious.”
Mrs. Obama also acknowledged other former first ladies—Nancy Reagan, Pat Nixon, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Dr. Jill Biden—for their efforts in support of Mrs. Kennedy’s vision.
“Regardless of party, our families understood that winning an election didn’t grant us the deed to a few acres of prime real estate to remake in our own image,” Mrs. Obama writes.
Melania Trump’s White House restoration efforts during her husband’s first term were not mentioned. Although just last month, Mrs. Trump outlined in detail her contributions to a community of scholars and presidential history experts at a White House reception.
“The White House stands as an architectural autobiography of America, embodying the enduring values of ambition, democracy, and civic life through its design, craftsmanship, and the objects within,” Mrs. Trump told attendees.
Specifically, the first lady shared how she sought to uncover the American War of Independence wallpaper designed by French artist Jean-Julien Deltil and created by the firm Jean Zuber and Co. The wallpaper was hidden behind the walls of the President’s Dining Room in the private Family Quarters. Her “mission to restore and reveal it was driven by a commitment to preserving a vital piece of our American narrative,” Mrs. Trump said, also adding her White House Tennis Pavilion was completed in 2020 and designed in collaboration with the Trust for the National Mall, the Executive Residence, and the National Park Service.
Mrs. Obama wrote about her own restoration work in the Old Family Dining Room of the Residence completed in 2015, noting how she followed the example Mrs. Kennedy set by reflecting on the country’s past, present and future.
The takeaway for Mrs. Obama, though, was “no matter our station, our job is to love and care for this country as we would our own children.”
The Weekly Wrap
The Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
In Pursuit
Jacqueline Kennedy by Michelle Obama
Oct. 8, 2026 – In January of 1961, Cold War tensions, nuclear brinkmanship, a lagging economy, a justifiably impatient Civil Rights movement, and all the trappings of an inauguration greeted the Kennedy family as they moved into the White House. The day would be filled with the legendary “Ask Not” speech at the swearing-in ceremony, a jovial parade, and a series of celebratory balls. Read more
American FLOTUS
Presidentess: The Life of Julia Gardiner Tyler, featuring Sharon and Christopher Leahy
On this episode of American FLOTUS, Christopher and Sharon Leahy discuss their new book Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. From her early days as the “Rose of Long Island” and an impactful term as First Lady, to her controversial Civil War years and post-war reclamation, Julia was a brilliant but flawed woman who lived an extraordinary life. Join host Alan Lowe and the Leahys to hear the remarkable story of an often overlooked First Lady. Listen here
CBS News
Michelle Obama Honors Opal Lee’s Legacy at 100th Birthday Event
Oct. 8, 2026 – Ms. Opal Lee turned 100, and the woman known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” had a former first lady help her celebrate a century of life, legacy and unfinished business. Read more
The New York Times
Hillary Clinton, Chloe Fineman and Esther Perel Toast the Pantsuit
Oct. 8, 2026 – Of the many legacies of the 2016 presidential election, one of the less politically charged may be the enshrinement of the pantsuit as a uniform for powerful women. Read more
IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
Debbie Allen & Phylicia Rashad on Sisterhood, Success & Aging Gracefully
Michelle and Craig are joined by two legendary sisters: Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad. Together, they look back on the family that shaped them: from growing up in segregated Houston to how their mother recognized their talents early and made sure they had every opportunity to develop them. View here
Variety
Melania Trump Advisor Shades Tom Cruise Over ‘Digger’ Box Office Bomb
Oct. 7, 2026 – Melania Trump’s senior advisor Marc Beckman took to social media after Tom Cruise‘s “Digger” flopped at the box office to explain to people how the First Lady’s much-reviled documentary “Melania” performed better at the box office earlier this year than mega-star Cruise’s latest endeavor. Read more
East Wing Magazine
New Helipad and Beehive Included in Upcoming White House Fall Garden Tours
Oct. 4, 2026 – The expanded White House Beehive and newly installed helipad will be among the areas of the White House grounds visitors will experience at the upcoming 2026 Fall Garden Tours, First Lady Melania Trump announced on Tuesday. Read more
East Wing Magazine
The Unmaking of a First Lady’s Myth
Oct. 3, 2026 – “Do you think you can prove it?”
That was the question historian Christopher Leahy posed to his wife, Sharon, an independent scholar, about 10 years ago when she was in the midst of translating letters written by Julia Gardiner Tyler, the wife of John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States. What was in question, though, was how past historians assessed one of the most character-defining moments of the young future first lady. Read more