The former first lady took aim at Trump at the DNC, slamming his baseless comment about migrants taking “Black jobs”
When Michelle Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday evening, she made it clear to America that “Hope is making a comeback.”
Delivering her speech under the bright lights of the United Center, thousands were on their feet as they welcomed the former first lady back to Chicago. As she spoke, Obama echoed what those gathered in the arena and across the nation watching from home were feeling: “Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?”
She continued: “It’s spreading all across this country we love — a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope.”
Soon, Obama delivered some of her most striking words against Donald Trump, who she said “did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See his limited, narrow view of the world, made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.”
She added: “I want to know who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?”
Her words were a direct reference to Trump’s fearmongering statements earlier this summer when he baselessly claimed that migrants coming to the United States were taking “Black jobs.” The remark, which was made amid a debate with President Joe Biden (who has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris) garnered controversy and sharp criticism, as it not only promoted the dubious notion that migrants take jobs from U.S. workers, but also reinforced racial stereotypes.
Obama’s speech represented a departure from her 2016 DNC address in support of Hillary Clinton, where she said about Trump and Republicans: “When they go low, we go high.” Since Harris took over the ticket, Democrats have dropped that strategy entirely — they are taking the fight to Trump and have gotten under the former president’s skin by taunting him and his running mate J.D. Vance as “weird.”
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During Tuesday night’s speech, Obama called Harris “one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency” and said she is “the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. Her story is your story. It’s my story. It’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.”
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The Obamas publicly endorsed Harris for the Democratic nomination for president in July. Before introducing former President Barack Obama to the stage, Michelle got the arena on their feet as she took a final jab at Trump and urged America to “do something.”
“If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we’ve got to pick ourselves up, throw water on our faces, and do something!” Michelle Obama says. “So consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you to do something!” pic.twitter.com/rd9yXR6Akd
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 21, 2024
“If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. We put our heads down. We get to work in America, we do something,” said Michelle as the crowd roared in approval. “And throughout her entire life, that’s what we’ve seen from Kamala Harris: the steel of her spine, the steadiness of her upbringing, the honesty of her example, and, yes, the joy of her laughter and her light. It couldn’t be more obvious of the two major candidates in this race: Only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great.”