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Trump lashes out at Michelle Obama after convention takedown
MILWAUKEE, Aug 18, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump
lashed out at former first lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday after she
delivered a scathing takedown of his leadership on the opening night
of the Democratic convention.
“I thought it was a very divisive speech, extremely divisive,” Trump
told reporters at the White House.
“Frankly, I would not even be here if it wasn’t for Barack Obama,”
he said. “I would be building buildings someplace and having a good
time.”
In her pre-taped remarks to the convention — which has gone almost
entirely online because of the coronavirus pandemic — Michelle Obama
urged Americans to rally behind Democrat Joe Biden, her husband Barack
Obama’s former vice president, in November’s presidential election.
Biden “will tell the truth, and trust science,” she said in a jab at
Trump, who has been accused of ignoring the advice of scientists on
how to respond to a health crisis which has left some 170,000
Americans dead and millions without jobs.
In unprecedented criticism of a sitting US president by a former
first lady, she painted Trump as a man who lacks the competence,
character and decency for the job.
“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.
“Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she said. “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.”
After a night of hard-hitting attacks on Trump from Michelle Obama,
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and others, including several
Republicans, the convention is to feature remarks on Tuesday by two
former presidents — Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
– ‘Longest political TV ad ever’ –
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Jill Biden, the candidate’s wife, is also scheduled to speak along
with New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising star
in the progressive wing of the party.
Former president Obama will speak on Wednesday along with 2016
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Biden’s running
mate, California Senator Kamala Harris.
The convention is to culminate on Thursday when the 77-year-old
Biden will formally accept the Democratic nomination and deliver his
acceptance speech.
US presidential nominating conventions are traditionally raucous
events featuring rousing speeches, balloons and confetti and thousands
of delegates from around the country.
But the Democratic convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and next
week’s Republican event in North Carolina have been forced to go
almost entirely online because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Larry Saboto, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia,
gave the Democrats’ virtual convention a thumbs-up after the first
day.
“This show, this longest political TV ad ever, isn’t designed for
the junkies but for people who dip in for 10 minutes before going back
to Netflix,” Sabato said. “And that’s smart.”
Biden is leading Trump in the polls ahead of the November 3 election
and the Republican incumbent has been desperately seeking to persuade
Americans that the COVID-19 crisis is behind them and that the
situation is improving.
“My Administration and I built the greatest economy in history, of
any country, turned it off, saved millions of lives, and now am
building an even greater economy than it was before,” Trump tweeted on
Tuesday.
Trump also continued his attacks on mail-in voting, insisting
without proof that it was “going to be a disaster the likes of which
our country has never seen.
“It’ll end up being a rigged election or they will never come out
with an outcome,” he said. “They’ll have to do it again and nobody
wants that. And I don’t want that.”
Trump has threatened to block extra funding that Democrats say is
urgently needed to allow the US Postal Service to process millions of
ballots.
While Democrats hold their convention, Trump has been visiting
battleground states.
He visited Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday and plans to go to Iowa
and Arizona on Tuesday.
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