Michelle Obama closed out the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention with an impassioned speech about empathy, voting and the future of the U.S. The former first lady strongly endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, while condemning Donald Trump as the “wrong” president for the nation.
“Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she stated. “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.”
“Whenever we look to this White House for leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get is chaos and division and a total lack of empathy,” she added.
Obama was one of several speakers of the night, which include pre-taped addresses from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and more. The best-selling author and mother of two urged listeners to vote early, request ballots by mail and be willing to “stand in line all night if we have to” on Election Day.
“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,” she warned. “If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”
She continued candidly, “Now, I understand that my message won’t be heard by some people. We live in a nation that is deeply divided and I am a Black woman speaking at the Democratic convention.”
“But enough of you know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I’m feeling. You know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation. You know how much I care about all of our children.”
Watch Obama’s address below.