Michelle Obama brought the house down with her speech at the Democratic National Convention in her hometown of Chicago.
The former first lady proudly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, saying that she is “one of the most qualified people to seek the presidency” and “one of the most dignified.”
“My girl Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment,” Obama said.
The former first lady, who recently lost her own mother, leaned on the words of Harris’ late mother. “She’d often tell her daughter, ‘Don’t sit around and complain about things: do something,’” she said.
“Do Something” became a battlecry for the Democrats in the audience as she rallied the crowd ahead of her husband’s headlining speech.
When discussing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Obama asked the crowd.
“Who is going to tell him that the job that he is currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” she said to a rousing applause from the crowd.
Obama further added that Trump has long been intimidated by powerful people of color, including herself and her husband.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of 2 hard-working highly educated successful people who happened to be Black,” she said.
“Hope” defined her husband Barack Obama’s presidential run in 2008, and she told the crowd Tuesday night that she felt it in the Chicago convention center, too.
“It’s the contagious power of hope,” she said. “The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.”
“America, hope is making a comeback,” she added.
The former first lady has kept a low profile this election cycle, but this appearance marks her return in a major way. She told the crowd that the last time she stepped foot in Chicago was to mourn her mother’s death and admitted that she was nervous to deliver her remarks.
Obama reiterated Harris’ accomplishments and what her presidency would mean for the trailblazing women before her.
“She is a tribute to my mother, her mother and your mother too,” she said. “It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: ‘Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.’”
Watch the speech below:
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