Michelle Obama: Trump and Allies Are ‘Stoking Fears About Black and Brown Americans’

Former first lady Michelle Obama offered a closing argument on behalf of Joe Biden (D) on Tuesday, telling viewers in a 24-minute speech that “our country is in chaos because of a president who isn’t up to the job” and whose administration and allies are “stoking fears about Black and Brown Americans.”

Obama delivered an impassioned 24-minute speech to the American people, pleading with them to support the former vice president, who she described as an experienced leader who “understands the struggles of everyday folks” and has the ability to end the “chaos” across the country.

She painted a dark picture of President Trump’s America, describing a country filled with leaders touting racist narratives and failing to take the Chinese coronavirus pandemic seriously:

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Trump, she continued, lied to the American people and “doubled down on division and resentment [and] railed against measures that could have mitigated the damage.” She even lambasted the president for holding rallies, or what she called “massive events without requiring masks or social distancing.” She also said Trump “knowingly” exposed his “own supporters to a dangerous virus.”

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“When wildfires rage out west he says nothing for weeks, when Americans of all backgrounds peacefully protest racism and police violence, he disparages them yet eggs on heavily armed militias,” she continued. Obama accused both Trump and his allies of “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.”

Only a “tiny fraction” of the demonstrations, she claimed, have had “any violence at all.” The former first lady made no mention of the violence raging in Portland on a nightly basis, nor the widespread riots that erupted over the summer, as Black Lives Matter protesters and antifa took to the streets, tearing down statues, breaking into storefronts, smashing police cruisers, and looting.

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“Racism, fear, division — these are powerful weapons and they can destroy this nation if we don’t deal with them head-on,” Obama added.

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