Former First Lady Michelle Obama was candid in a recent interview about her concerns ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

During a sit-down on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast, Obama touched on the thoughts that keep her awake at night. She mentioned AI, war, the environment, education, and voting outreach. However, she homed in on the next White House race.

In this screengrab, Michelle Obama presents the Social Justice Impact Award during the 52nd NAACP Image Awards on March 27, 2021. (Photo by NAACP via Getty Images)

“What’s going to happen in this next election? I am terrified about what could possibly happen because our leaders matter,” Obama said. “Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit, it affects us in ways sometimes I think people take for granted.”

She continued: “We cannot take this democracy for granted, and sometimes I worry that we do. Those are the things that keep me up.”

Despite legal woes, Donald Trump has been in the lead for the GOP nomination. According to USA Today, people in former President Barack Obama’s circles, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, have expressed uneasiness about what’s to come. 

Holder told the outlet that if Trump is victorious in 2024, it will cause “incalculable damage” to the United States, adding that Barack Obama agrees with that sentiment: “I think that’s what motivates him. I think that’s what will continue to motivate him,” he said.

According to the report citing a source, the former president and current president, Joe Biden, communicate often, and Barack Obama believes it will be a tight race. Holder noted that Obama plans to support his former vice president, including campaigning.

Earlier this year, Michelle opened up about how she felt at Trump’s Inauguration Day in 2017 and pointed out the lack of diversity at the event, People reported.

“To sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display — there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage,” Michelle said on her platform, “The Light Podcast.” “There was no reflection of the broader sense of America.”

“Many people took pictures of me, and they’re like, ‘You weren’t in a good mood?’ No, I was not! But you had to hold it together like you do for eight years,” she added.