Michelle Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention, criticizing President Donald Trump's coronavirus response.
“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,” the former first lady said.
Michelle Obama, in her speech, described what she and her children see in America today and expressed her disappointment.
“They see people shouting in grocery stores, unwilling to wear a mask to keep us all safe,” said Obama. “They see an entitlement that says only certain people belong here, that greed is good, and winning is everything because as long as you come out on top, it doesn’t matter what happens to everyone else.”
“Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation,” she said. “That’s not just disappointing; it’s downright infuriating.”
Obama has long been admired for her inspirational and motivational political speeches. One of her most popular phrases is “when they go low, we go high" which she rephrased in her latest speech.
“Going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top,” Obama said.
“Going high means standing fierce against hatred ... And going high means unlocking the shackles of lies and mistrust with the only thing that can truly set us free: the cold hard truth.”
The intention of the Democratic National Convention is to nominate and celebrate the party’s presidential ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris.
Biden is not perfect
Obama commended Biden for his empathy and fortitude. However, she admitted that he is not perfect. “Now, Joe is not perfect. And he’d be the first to tell you that. But there is no perfect candidate, no perfect president," she said.
There was no mention of Harris in the speech because the speech was reportedly taped before Harris was announced as Biden’s running mate.
Harris shares the sentiment of Obama, calling Trump “delusional” and blaming him for the gravity of the coronavirus outbreak in the US.
“This virus has impacted almost every country, but there’s a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It’s because of Trump’s failure to take it seriously from the start,” Harris said. She gave a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, during her first joint appearance with Biden since she was announced as his running mate.
Obama also mentioned ongoing voter suppression tactics. “Right now, folks who know they cannot win fair and square at the ballot box are doing everything they can to stop us from voting. They’re closing down polling places in minority neighborhoods. They’re purging voter rolls. They’re sending people out to intimidate voters, and they’re lying about the security of our ballots,” she said.
“If we want to keep the possibility of progress alive in our time, if we want to be able to look our children in the eye after this election, we have got to reassert our place in American history,” Obama said as she concluded her speech. “And we have got to do everything we can to elect my friend, Joe Biden, as the next president of the United States.”
