One of the most anticipated moments of the Democratic convention will be Monday, when Michelle Obama
Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaTrump to oppose DNC on trip to swinging states Biden steps out with Harris, the worst of his choices Biden, Harris to address Chase Center’s Democratic convention in Delaware MORE will provide an address that is expected to shine a bright light President Trump
Donald John TrumpUPS, FedEx shuts down talks to deal with post-in vote, warns of ‘major’ issues: reports GOP Georgia’s controversial candidate attempts to distance himself from QAnon Trump orders TikTok parent company to sell US assets within 90 days MORE while Democrats urged to come out and vote.
The former first lady and one of the nation’s most popular political figures, Obama has become increasingly frustrated with the direction of the country.
“I think she’s getting hard on Trump in the most artistic way,” one ally told the former first lady. “I think it will be one of the most defining and memorable speeches of this entire cycle.”
“She has the most powerful voice to get out of the vote,” the ally said.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden
Joe BidenOn The Money: Economists flabbergasted after Congress left without deal | Markets stand as the economy struggles | Retail sales kick off Congress in July without leaving deal, prompting economists Trump touts NYUT to encourage police union distinction: ‘Pro-cop all the way’ MORE is counting on Obama to begin holding a convention under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.
There will be no raging crowds or parties, but the Biden team hopes speakers like the former First Lady can turn voters up just as they speak at a more traditional convention.
The former first lady will speak the same night as Sen in a pre-carpet address. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersFormer Obama speechwriter Favreau: ‘Hilarious’ some media companies call Harris a moderate Trump to oppose DNC with trips to swinging states Progressives see flexing muscle in next congress after primary wins MORE (I-Vt.), And two nights before Barack Obama
Barack Hussein ObamaMcGrath Turns Campaign Into Home Rack After First Chamber Elections The Hill’s Campaign Report: Trump Hedges with Post Office Funding | Harris speaks with 19th | An apology of sorts in Massachusetts Jared Kushner denies Trump ‘promotion’ questions over Kamala Harris MORE, the former president.
Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who serves as director of African-American paid media and advertising on Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonMcGrath moves the campaign home to the House of Representatives elections. Court of Appeals blocks Hillary Clinton’s deposition on private email server What Biden needs to do to stay ahead and win moreThe 2016 campaign, predicted by Michelle Obama, would “deliver an intensely personal speech, perhaps even more so than President Obama’s.”
“By virtue of being a former president, there are certain things he allows himself to say … his will will be a little more cautious,” Payne said. ‘That she will speak in different ways for her and her husband. It will strike closer to the bone for millions of Americans who feel alienated by President Trump and his administration.
“She can give a real cutting critique and it will not feel political,” he said.
The former lady’s 2016 address was the most memorable of that cycle than many others.
She never mentioned Trump by name, but urged Democrats to take a different approach than the Republicans.
“Our motto is, ‘If they go low, we go high,’ Obama said in the most memorable line of the speech.
While the speech was memorable, it did not have the desired effect; Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, was defeated by Trump in a coup.
Since then, some have even questioned whether it might have been better for Democrats to be stronger against Trump, despite whether it would be seen as punching low.
Michelle Obama has watched the past four years as Trump has sought to erase her husband’s achievements, from the Affordable Care Act to executive orders protecting immigrants to Iran’s nuclear deal.
At the same time, it has become an even greater cultural force.
In 2018, she published ‘Becoming’, a bestselling memoir about growing up in Chicago and her years in the White House.
In the book, she slammed Trump, saying that the fourth campaign he proposed that falsely claimed that Barack Obama was not an American citizen “was deliberately intended to stir up the wingnotes and coke.”
The former first lady also wrote that she was “buzzed with fury” when she saw the “Access Hollywood” band that emerged in the middle of the race in 2016, in which Trump boasted about grabbing women by the genitals.
Now that Trump is president, Democrats expect the former first lady to call it a notch, and try to prevent a repeat of 2016.
“Last time we did not know what Trump could do exactly, we could only imagine how bad it is,” said one Democrat close to the Biden campaign. ‘Now it’s real. We have seen the damage he has done. We lived it. ”
Both privately and publicly, Obama has known the Trump era, but has for the most part remained out of the political spotlight. At the same time, she has focused her energy on voter registration efforts.
“She has become increasingly frustrated with the current climate because she initially saw how a president can shape the general mood of the country,” the ally said.
Earlier this month, Obama acknowledged suffering from a ‘low-grade depression’ due to the pandemic and race relations of the country and the general political tenor.
“I wake up in the middle of the night because I’m worried about something or there is a pregnancy,” Obama said on her new podcast. “I try to make sure I get a workout, even though there have been periods in this quarantine where I just felt too low.”
A few days later, she circled back to the topic on her Instagram account, which has 41.1 million followers.
She acknowledged how recent events have contributed to her malaise.
“The idea that what this country is going through doesn’t have to have an effect on us – that we all just have to feel OK all the time – that just doesn’t feel right to me,” she added. “So I hope you all allow yourself to feel what you feel.”
David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Obama and author of the new “Democracy in One Book or Less” team, said the former first lady is “able to talk about talks in a way that transcends politics.”
“She’s one of the most compelling speakers because she’s this world, she’s in this world, but she’s not from it,” Litt said. “I think she has this pretty unique ability to make contact with people who might otherwise be skeptical of political rhetoric.”
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