Michelle Obama on Trump Assertions: 'Racist'

Michelle Obama is out with a 24-minute "closing argument" video on the 2020 race in which she makes her pitch for Joe Biden. In it, the former first lady levels some serious criticism against President Trump. The president is "lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs, whipping up violence and intimidation," Obama says, per Axios. "So what the president is doing is, once again, patently false, it’s morally wrong, and yes, it is racist." She also says Trump "lied to us" about the coronavirus and has failed to come up with a strategy even after seven months. "In the greatest crisis of our lifetimes, [he] doubled down on division and resentment." She does not mention Trump's own diagnosis, notes the Hill.

Both outlets note that the former first lady remains extremely popular among Democrats and could motivate people to get out to the polls. If her argument sounds familiar, it's because Obama's "urgent, personal" remarks are similar to those in her widely hailed (at least among Democrats) speech for the Democratic National Convention, notes Politico. Obama says that maybe the most important thing she learned from her time in the White House is that "a president's policies are a direct reflection of their values." Biden, she adds, is "a good man who understands the struggles of everyday folks." (More Michelle Obama stories.)