Michelle Obama was vocal in her support for Kamala Harris on Tuesday as the Democratic National Convention began in Chicago. The former First Lady also lambasted Donald Trump for indulging in racist attacks and highlighted the many challenges faced by non-wealthy Americans. She also countered Trump’s assertions about ‘Black jobs’ being taken by immigrants by noting that the US Presidency too might have become a ‘Black job’ now.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” Obama asked to resounding cheers.
Kamala Harris will formally accept the party’s nomination for president at the convention. If elected, she will be the first Black and South Asian person to become US president.
The remark is a direct reference to repeated assertions made by the Republican leader about undocumented migrants taking away “Black jobs”. According to the former POTUS, the oft used term refers to “anybody that has a job”.
“I will tell you that coming from the border are millions and millions of people that happen to be taking Black jobs,” he had insisted while addressing a conference of Black journalists earlier this month.
Obama also made several overt jabs at Trump for indulging in “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies” that have targeted her former President Barack Obama in the past.
“His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black,” she said.
She also tagged Kamala Harris as “one of the most qualified people” to seek the US presidency and insisted that “no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American”. The remark follows Trump’s recent references to the US Vice President as ‘a child of immigrants’.
(With inputs from agencies)