Michelle Obama delivered a sharp critique of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, condemning his character and denouncing the racist attacks he has directed at her and her husband, Barack Obama, in the past.
“His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black,” she said of Trump.
She also taunted Trump for his reference on the campaign trail to “Black jobs,” which he claims are being taken by migrants crossing into the U.S. away from Black Americans.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” Obama asked, drawing roars from the crowd.
The former first lady was speaking in support of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the party’s nomination for president at the convention and if elected, would be the first Black and South Asian person to become president.
Obama also drew a contrast with Trump and most Americans who don’t grow up wealthy like Trump, whose father was a real estate investor.
“We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth,” she said. “If we bankrupt a business… or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third, or fourth chance,” she said. “If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead.”
Trump, Republicans in Congress, right-wing activists, and online trolls have launched racist and sexist attacks against Harris, which have intensified since she announced her presidential bid in July, following incumbent President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. Trump has also made false claims questioning Harris’ racial identity.
“It’s his same old con,” Obama said, speaking of Trump. “Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”
Obama compared the energy in the DNC arena and across the country for Harris to her husband’s 2008 presidential campaign.
“Something wonderfully magical is in the air,” she said to the delegates and guests crowded into Chicago’s United Center. “A familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. It’s the contagious power of hope.”
“Hope is making a comeback.”
Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign famously used the single word “Hope” as its slogan, which played a crucial role in his election as the nation’s first Black president. Michelle Obama remarked that Harris’ journey represents “your story. It’s my story. It’s the story of the vast majority of Americans striving to build a better life.”
However, she acknowledged that the race between Harris and Trump will be competitive and emphasized the need to organize and mobilize voters. “No matter how optimistic we feel tonight, tomorrow, or the next day, this will still be an uphill battle… so we must avoid being our own worst enemies,” she said.
Before Biden’s withdrawal from the race in July, a Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that only Michelle Obama had a stronger lead over Trump, with a 50% to 39% advantage in a hypothetical matchup. Despite this, Obama, the author of the best-selling memoir “Becoming,” has consistently stated that she does not intend to run for president.
