Former First Lady Michelle Obama stepped back into the political spotlight on Tuesday night, returning to her hometown of Chicago to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention.
She was greeted by a raucous applause from the convention crowd, reminding Americans why she remains one of the party’s most influential voices—even from the sidelines. Obama recounted her long friendship with Harris, a relationship that dates back over two decades, and spoke of shared optimism for the future mixed with somber realism of the challenges the party faces ahead of the November election.
“Our fate is in our hands,” Obama said. “In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division, and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our action.”
Obama’s address before Democratic lawmakers and delegates was particularly poignant given that she has maintained a relatively low profile so far this election cycle and has consistently avoided the rough-and-tumble of partisan politics, choosing instead to focus on broader societal issues through her initiatives and public speaking engagements.
But Obama and her husband former President Barack Obama remain widely popular among Democrats—one of the reasons her name had been floated as a possible alternative to take over the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden exited the race. The Obamas quickly endorsed Harris after Biden dropped out, saying she has the character and experience to meet the moment.
“She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency,” Obama said Tuesday night, directly preceding a speech by Barack Obama. “And she is one of the most dignified—a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and probably to your mother too… the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. Her story is your story… it’s my story… it’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.”
Here are some of the biggest moments from Michelle Obama’s DNC speech.
‘Hope is making a comeback’
The former First Lady brought back the message of hope that became the slogan of her husband’s earlier political campaigns, praising the newfound energy around the Harris campaign.
Obama began her speech by referencing a “contagious power of hope,” telling the convention crowd that “something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?”
“You know what I’m talking about? It’s the contagious power of hope!” she said. “The exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day… America, hope is making a comeback.”
‘Do something’
But Obama cautioned that optimism shouldn’t lead to complacency, and she urged the audience to take direct action in the coming weeks to get Harris over the finish line and defeat former President Donald Trump.
“As we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt,” she said, reminding Democrats of the stakes of the election and adding that they face an “uphill battle.”
“It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: ‘Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something,’” Obama added, as the convention crowd chanted: “Do something! Do something!”
‘Kamala Harris is more than ready’
Obama called Harris “one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency” and drew particular attention to her background—raised by an immigrant mother from a middle-class family, attending a historically Black university, and working her way up to the vice presidency.
“Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment,” Obama said. “Kamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or what’s in your bank account… we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life… All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued. Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American.”
The presidency ‘might just be one of those Black jobs’
Obama used part of her speech to address the racist rhetoric and attack lines that have been wielded against Harris, warning that people “are going to do everything they can to distort” her background and accomplishments. “My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this,” she said, before calling out by name Trump, who peddled unfounded “birther” allegations against Barack Obama.
“For years Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black,” she said.
In reference to Trump’s comments at the June debate—in which he claimed that immigrants coming into the U.S were “taking Black jobs”—Obama added: “Who is going to tell him that the job he currently is seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?”
“It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better,” she said.
‘My heart compels me to be here’
Obama said that the last time she was in her hometown of Chicago was when her mother died earlier this year, and that she decided to speak at the DNC to honor her legacy and the sacrifices she made. She also drew a parallel between the principles that guided her upbringing and that of Harris: “She was glad to do the thankless, unglamorous work that for generations, has strengthened the fabric of this nation,” Obama said, adding that “Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values.”
“I wasn’t even sure if I would be steady enough to stand before you tonight,” Obama said. “But my heart compels me to be here, because of the sense of duty that I feel to honor her memory and to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future.”
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