First lady Michelle Obama took the stage during the first night of the Democratic National Convention to rally voters behind presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton. Afterward, pundits were already pitying those who had to follow her on the Philadelphia stage.
Obama's speech touched on the biggest issues facing the country, from police violence to the responsibility of the president to be a role model for children. She shared an anecdote about a young Black boy who looked up at her husband and asked if the president's hair was like his own.
"This November when we go to the polls, that’s what we are deciding. Not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. No, this election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives," Obama told the crowd gathered in the Wells Fargo Center. "I am here tonight because in this election, there is only one person I trust with this responsibility, one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton."
And she had a powerful message for the man she declined to name throughout her speech.
"When you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out," Obama said of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that we somehow need to make it great again.
"Don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that we somehow need to make it great again. Because this, right now, is the greatest country on Earth," she added.
Obama also praised Clinton for accepting a position in his cabinet after losing to President Obama in 2008.
"What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life. And when I think about the kind of president I want for my girls and all of our children, that’s what I want,” Obama said.
Obama shared the advice she gives her own children about dealing with bullies, telling them that when people "go low, we go high." Obama made no mention of the fact that Melania Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week plagiarised several portions from the first lady's own 2008 convention address.
Instead, she closed with a powerful call to action during a night meant to be about forging unity between Clinton supporters and those who still support Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"We need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as president of the United States of America. So let’s get to work," Obama said.
Many people took to Twitter to praise the first lady's remarks and her "mic drop" moments.
Too bad the mic is mounted on the lectern, because it would be great to see @MichelleObama drop it.
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) July 26, 2016
Come back to the podium @FLOTUS @MichelleObama you forgot to drop the mic #DemsInPhilly #DemsInPhilly #micdrop pic.twitter.com/cp4iXeBnZW
— Drea B. (@AKB_Esq) July 26, 2016
Michelle Obama. The real reason the mic drop was created. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. #DNCinPHL #DNC
— Danielle Herzog (@martinisandmini) July 26, 2016
"When they go low, we go high." **mic drop** @MichelleObama #DemConvention
— Cass Zawadowski (@missopinion8td) July 26, 2016
Refinery29’s News team is on the ground covering the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention.
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