First Lady says Obamas will be there for Trump 'for the health of this nation'

The US election campaign trail saw a barrage of fiery rhetoric exchanged between Democrats and Republicans alike, but the outgoing First Lady of the United States has vowed to "be there" to help Donald Trump succeed as president.

In an hour-long interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast on Monday (19 December) – the same day the Electoral College sealed Trump's White House victory – Obama reflected on her time as First Lady and what comes next.

"As I've said time and time again, words matter," she told Winfrey. "And they matter most to our kids. And the words that we say moving forward – all of us – it matters, which is one of the reasons why Barack and I are so supportive of this transition."

Despite the huge divide between the two major political camps in the US, Obama – who campaigned vehemently for Hillary Clinton and hit out at the Republican for predatory comments about women – said that she would support the president-elect.

"No matter how we felt going into it, it is important for the health of this nation that we support the commander-in-chief," she said, refusing to refer to Trump by name.

"Wasn't done when my husband took office, but we're going high, and this is what's best for the country. So we are gonna be there for the next president and do whatever we have to do to make sure that he is successful because if he succeeds, we all succeed," she added.

Obama has been a popular First Lady – and talk about her running for president began to dominate discussions in the days following Trump's win.

"No, no, no, no," she told Winfrey unequivocally when asked if she would ever consider the top job. "Look, that's one thing I don't do. I don't make stuff up. I'm not coy," she added, noting that she is "pretty direct".

"If I were interested in it, I'd say it. I don't believe in playing games, you know," she continued. "And it's not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again, but let me just tell America: This is hard. It's a hard job. I said it on the campaign trail. It requires a lot of sacrifice. It is a weighty thing."