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On Aug. 20, former First Lady Michelle Obama received a lengthy standing ovation at the Democratic National Convention before voicing her support for Vice President Kamala Harris. In her speech, Obama delivered a sharp critique of former President Donald Trump, accusing him of “failing forward” and benefiting from generational wealth.
Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid explains what made Obama’s speech so powerful and why she believes Trump must be relieved he isn’t running against her.
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The following is an excerpt from the above video:
When Michelle introduced “When they go low, we go high” during the 2016 DNC — remember that, I’ve aged 30 years since then — she delivered the phrase in support of Hillary Clinton, and it quickly became a guiding principle for the party — this call to respond to negativity with grace and dignity.
In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Obama explained, ”going high” means channeling one’s anger into purposeful actions that aim to unite rather than divide. She emphasized that resorting to “going low” is ultimately unsustainable and ineffective in solving the underlying issues. Which… yes.
But 2016 was a very different political landscape, and in 2024 Michelle’s messaging took a notable turn. In last week’s speech, oh, she did not shy away from criticizing the former president, suggesting that his view was narrow, fear-mongering, born from insecurity, and above all, deeply and inexcusably self-serving. She also got in some fantastic zingers.
