Valerie Jarrett, President Obama’s senior White House adviser, offered a glimpse into the true feelings inside the Obama administration on election night: Donald Trump’s win was “soul-crushing.”

“Obviously we were surprised by the outcome of the election,” Jarrett shared to Politico. “It kind of was like a, I’m not sure what the right analogy would be, but like a punch in the stomach, let’s say. Soul-crushing might be another description.”

“But that’s the democracy that we have: the people get to decide and the elections matter and we have to get about the business of doing our job,” she added.

Jarrett said she and others are trying to “follow the lead of former President George W. Bush’s team in facilitating a smooth White House transition to the opposing party.”

She has also taken a cue from President Obama whom she said “sets the tone and he’s upbeat.”

“I think the mood is a lot better today than it was the day after the election, that’s for sure,” Jarrett said.

As far as President-elect Trump seeking Obama’s advice as his team transitions into the job, Jarrett said she wished Trump had gotten to know the president sooner before beginning his hard-hitting campaign against him. 

“Look, we’ve learned a lot in eight years and campaigns are different than governing and to the degree that President Obama can convey some of what he’s learned and give the president-elect a little bit more detail into why we’ve done the things that we’ve done, that inures to the benefit of the country,” Jarrett said.

As many in the White House were reeling watching Trump win on election night, Michelle Obama was fast asleep. She told People:

“I went to bed. I don’t watch debates, I don’t like to watch the political discourse; I never have.”

“I barely did with him,” FLOTUS added, pointing to her husband. Hashtag sweetheart.