Michelle Obama Addresses the Nation in Moving Speech on Joe Biden, Trump & Voting

Former first lady Michelle Obama addressed the nation during the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Monday night former first lady Michelle Obama gave an emotionally charged speech that proved she was stepping into the limelight to close the divide in the Democratic party. Obama addressed the lack of empathy Donald Trump has, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the troubling leadership that’s been on display over the past four years. 

During her speech, former Vice President Joe Biden received another endorsement from Michelle as she spoke about her familiarity with the “immense weight and awesome power” of Barack Obama and Joe’s time in the White House.

She also declared that she doesn’t like politics, but that didn’t stop her from condemning Trump. She spoke from a place of reflection when she shared, “Let me be honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country.” Her reasoning behind this statement includes how the sitting president has been addressing the pandemic and grazing over racial tension in the U.S.

"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," Obama said. "It is what it is."

Michelle later added that voters must choose right over wrong and “close out the noise and the fear” and open their hearts. Here she made it clear there is a moral obligation to vote for Biden as president.

On the moral obligation to vote for Biden she shared:

"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. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it."

In total, Michelle managed to compare and contrast Trump and Biden in 18 minutes, which wasn't a small feat. She successfully pushed Biden to the forefront by declaring that though he isn’t perfect, he’s the right candidate to lead the nation. "Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy," she said. "Joe knows the anguish of sitting at a table with an empty chair," Obama said. "His life is a testament to getting back up, and he is going to channel that same grit and passion to pick us all up, to help us heal and guide us forward."

In closing, she urged voters to push themselves to show up for Biden "in numbers that can't be ignored." She also said, "We have got to grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown bag dinner and maybe breakfast too, because we've got to be willing to stand in line all night if we have to."

Watch Michelle Obama's entire speech below.