Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:02 pm
Just when Republicans thought that it couldn’t get worse, First Lady Michelle Obama spoke out against everything Donald Trump represents while addressing graduates at the CCNY commencement ceremony.
Video:
https://youtu.be/xB1eGI8Gqcg?t=11m47s
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While speaking at the CCNY commencement ceremony, First Lady Obama said:
Some folks out there today seem to have a very different perspective. They seem to view our diversity as a threat to be contained rather than as a resource to be tapped. They tell us to be afraid of those who are different, to be suspicious of those with whom we disagree. They act as if name-calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate. As if anger and intolerance should be our default state rather than optimism and openness that have always been the engine of our progress.
But graduates, I can tell you that as First Lady, I have had the privilege of traveling around the world, and visiting dozens of different countries, and I have seen what happens when ideas like these take hold. I have seen how leaders rule by intimidation, leaders who demonize and dehumanize entire groups of people often do so because they have nothing else to offer. And I have seen how places that stifle the voices and dismiss the potential of their citizens are diminished, how they are less vital, less hopeful, less free.
Graduates that is not who we are. That is not what this country stands for. No, no, here in America, we don’t let our differences tear us apart. Not here. Because we know that our greatness comes from when we appreciate each other’s strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other, because in this country, it’s never been each person for themselves, no we’re all in this together. We always have been. And here in America, we don’t give in to our fears. We don’t up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere.
First Lady Obama’s remarks are the biggest sign yet that all of the White House is ready to join the fight to defeat Donald Trump.
Michelle Obama’s strong remarks added to the growing woes of the Republican Party. The GOP now has a nominee that has attacked the judicial system while facing fraud suits in the two biggest states in the country. As if this wasn’t enough to keep Republicans awake at night, the popular President and First Lady have signaled that they are gearing up to join the 2016 fight.
The argument that Obama made against Trump was devastating because it wasn’t political. The argument that the First Lady made was a moral argument about who we are as a country. The question that First Lady Obama’s remarks asked the country is, does Donald Trump accurately represent who we are? If this election is contested on moral terms, Donald Trump has no chance of winning.
Trump and his angry Twitter account can’t match the power and popularity of President and First Lady Obama. Michelle Obama is speaking out, and the Republican Party’s bad week just got a whole lot worse.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
