Michelle Obama held nothing back in a 26-minute video message she titled "Closing Argument," in which she detailed why voters should elect Joe Biden and condemned President Donald Trump, calling his practices of "stoking fear" in Americans "morally wrong" and "racist."
"They’re stoking fears about Black and brown Americans, lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs, whipping up violence and intimidation. And they’re pinning it all on what’s been an overwhelmingly peaceful movement for racial solidarity. It’s true. Research backs it up," the former First Lady said.
"Only a tiny fraction of demonstrations have had any violence at all. So what the president is doing is once again patently false. It’s morally wrong. And yes, it is racist," she continued. "But that doesn’t mean it won’t work. Because this is a difficult time, a confusing time, and when people hear these lies and crazy conspiracies repeated over and over and over again, they don’t know what to think. With everything going on in their lives, they don’t have time to fact-check falsehoods being spread throughout the internet. And even reasonable people might get scared. And the one thing this president is really, really good at is using fear and confusion and spreading lies to win."
"We can no longer pretend that we don't know exactly who and what this president stands for. Search your hearts, and your conscience, and then vote for Joe Biden like your lives depend on it," Obama urged.
When the former FLOTUS shared the video on Twitter, she admitted that she thought twice about releasing the message, but felt compelled given the Trump administration's actions in the last few days. "The truth is, the events of the past few days are a bracing reminder of the tragedy that has been this administration’s response to this crisis," she wrote. "And I’ll be very honest: This is a message I’d planned to release earlier, and after everything that’s happened, I weighed whether or not to go public at all. But I wanted you all to hear what’s been on my mind. Because the drama of the past few days has only emphasized what’s at stake in this election, from the coronavirus to a constant drumbeat of fear, division, and chaos that’s threatening to spiral out of control."
Obama additionally spoke about white privilege, the pandemic, nationwide protests, and more in the video.
See Obama's full "Closing Argument" above!
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