Who’s Going to Tell Him It’s a Black Job? Michelle Obama Skewers Trump at DNC

Former First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama closed out the second night of the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, encouraging voters watching at home to reject the politics of division and to support Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

Michelle Obama took to the stage as the penultimate speaker of the evening, regaling the celebratory audience in the United Center in Chicago with an observation of the current state of the presidential race.

“Something wonderfully magical is in the air … a familiar feeling that’s been buried deep too long. You know what I’m talking about — it’s the contagious power of hope,” Obama said.

“America, hope is making a comeback,” she added.

“Hope” was the main theme of Barack Obama’s first run for president in 2008. The enthusiasm from that campaign, and the message of “hope” for a better country after eight years of President George W. Bush, was largely responsible for helping put Obama into the White House.

Michelle Obama continued her speech by taking a number of digs at Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican nominee for president.

The choice between Harris and Trump “couldn’t be more obvious,” Obama said. “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.”

Despite the enthusiasm for Harris that has been evident in recent days, Obama warned the crowd that Trump and his allies would try to distort the “truth” about her – bringing up how he did so for years while her husband was president.

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black,” Obama said.

“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” she added, alluding to false statements Trump has made about immigrants taking jobs from Black people.

“It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better,” Michelle Obama said, adding:

I don’t care how you identify politically — whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or none of the above. This is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right. To stand up, not just for our basic freedoms but for decency and humanity; for basic respect, dignity, and empathy; for the values at the very foundation of this democracy.

The crowd was energetic during her speech, cheering loudly throughout. Next up was her husband, Barack Obama, who received an equally enthusiastic response from the delegates at the DNC.

It was 20 years ago when Obama first appeared onstage at a DNC event, giving a rousing speech as a candidate for senator in Illinois that propelled him onto the national political scene. Four years later, Obama would run for president.

“It is good to be home,” Obama, a former Chicagoan, said. “I don’t know about you but I’m feeling fired up.”

Obama also alluded to “hope” during his speech, often injecting humor into his message.

“I am feeling hopeful because this convention has always been good to kids with funny names in a country where anything is possible,” Obama said.

Said Obama:

We have the chance to elect someone who’s spent her whole life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you: the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.

Obama also thanked President Joe Biden, describing him as empathetic and lauding him for making the difficult decision to drop out of the presidential race one month ago.

“History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend,” Obama said.

“The torch has been passed. It is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake, it will be a fight. … This will still be a tight race in a closely divided country,” Obama said.

The former president also took digs at Trump, claiming that the Republican nominee wasn’t caring enough to deal with the problems of the American people.

“The people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about my future; about my children’s future – about our future together?” Obama said. “One thing is for certain: Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question.”

Obama called Trump a “78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down a golden escalator nine years ago.” He derided Trump’s penchant for using “childish nicknames” and propagating “conspiracy theories,” and for having a “weird obsession with crowd sizes.”

“We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos. We’ve seen that movie — and we all know that the sequel’s usually worse,” Obama said. “America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”

Stating that Harris is “ready for the job,” Obama further played up the Democratic nominee’s bona fides by saying that, unlike Trump, Harris “won’t be focused on her own problems, she’ll be focused on yours.”

Obama also called on voters to reject the messaging that Trump has engaged in, saying that “the other side knows it’s easy to play on people’s fears and cynicism.”

“That’s the easy path. We have a different task. Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver,” Obama said. “We can’t just point to what we’ve already accomplished or only rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today.”

Obama then went on to call for more empathy and understanding in the country.

“Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws. It’s the values we live by, and the way we treat each other — including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do,” he said.

“The vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. … The joy and excitement that we’re seeing in this campaign tells us that we’re not alone,” the former president added.

Obama concluded his speech by telling Democrats they should commit themselves to electing Harris as president.

“We will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States, and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States. We’ll elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we believe in,” Obama said. “And together, we, too, will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.”