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Former US First Lady Michelle Obama has lashed out at female voters who backed President Donald Trump.

"Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice," she said.

Mrs Obama, who has stayed largely out of the political fray since leaving the White House, made the remark at a Boston conference.

She reflected on the 2016 election as an example of staying true to her "authentic self".

"Quite frankly, we saw this in this election. As far as I'm concerned, any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice," Mrs Obama said on Wednesday during a question-and-answer session at Inbound, a marketing and sales conference in Boston.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Many Trump voters are happy with his progress

She continued that many Americans decided last November that Mr Trump's "voice is more true to me".

Mrs Obama insisted, however, that she wanted Mr Trump to succeed.

"We want the sitting president to be successful because we live in this country," she said. "He is our commander in chief, he was voted in."

Just 54% of women voted for Mrs Clinton, who lost to Mr Trump last year, while 52% of white women voted for her Republican opponent.

"Well, to me that just says, you don't like your voice. You like the thing you're told to like," she said of Mr Trump.

Mrs Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, campaigned for Mrs Clinton during last year's election.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Obamas are writing separate memoirs in a book deal worth $60m

She famously said of Mrs Clinton's detractors: "When they go low, we go high".

The Obamas have retreated from the public eye since leaving the White House last January until they inked a book deal with Penguin Random House last March to write separate memoirs.

The contract is worth $60m (£48m).

Her remarks about the 2016 election were some of the thoughts "rolling around in [her] head" as she writes her book, she said on Wednesday.

"This is the first time in eight years, probably 10 years, that I'll have a chance to think back on what it all meant," she continued.

She said that she and Mr Obama have learned that part of their "legacy is leading with grace".

During the election campaign in February last year, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright provoked outrage when she introduced Hillary Clinton at a New Hampshire event, saying: "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other!"

Ms Albright later apologised.