Michelle Obama Calls Trump 'Wrong President For This Country' In DNC Speech

In her Democratic National Convention speech, Michelle Obama said Trump is ‘in over his head’ and the ‘wrong president for this country’

The (virtual) Democratic National Convention is officially underway, which means we can expect inspiring appearances by some of the biggest names in politics (both Democratic, and Republicans who have broken rank with Trump and will be actively campaigning for his replacement. You love to see it). One of those is the former First Lady (but forever First Lady of our hearts), Michelle Obama, who gave a stirring speech on the first night of the convention in which she made a passionate plea for voters to stand up to Trump.

In nearly 20 minutes of remarks, Obama strongly condemned Trump’s record as president, pointing specifically to his inexperience, divisiveness, and “utter lack of empathy.”

“Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she said in her speech, which was recorded on video and broadcast to virtual convention attendees. “He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”

Obama continued, “So if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this: If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don’t make a change in this election. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”

In fact, our lives might actually depend on it. Obama didn’t focus on Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis like some other speakers did, but we already know that with the death toll from the pandemic in the United States fast approaching 200,000, this is going to be a major talking point throughout the election.

What Obama did talk about in her speech was that we need to continue to “go high” while others “go low,” echoing her refrain from the 2016 election.

“But let’s be clear: Going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty,” she said. “Going high means standing fierce against hatred while remembering that we are one nation under God, and if we want to survive, we’ve got to find a way to live together and work together across our differences.”

And as a final point, Obama emphasized how important it is for all Americans to just get out there and exercise their right to vote.

“Look, we have already sacrificed so much this year,” she said. “This is who we still are: compassionate, resilient, decent people whose fortunes are bound up with one another. And it is well past time for our leaders to once again reflect our truth.”

Obama was one of the convention’s first major speakers. As events continue through Thursday, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris are also scheduled to speak.