Category Archives: Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama blasts Trump for ‘gross incompetence’ at Harris’s Michigan rally

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At Kalamazoo event, former first lady and vice-president argue Trump has no credibility on women’s issues

Michelle Obama laced into Donald Trump in a searing speech in Michigan on Saturday, accusing the former president of “gross incompetence” and having an “amoral character” while challenging hesitant Americans to choose Kamala Harris for US president.

“By every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready,” the former first lady told a rapt audience in Kalamazoo. “The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?”

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Barack Obama calls on Americans to elect Kamala Harris – as it happened

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Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, has turned up at the Democratic national convention, for reasons unknown.

Cohen fell out with Trump years ago, and was a witness for the prosecution in the former president’s hush-money trial in New York, which ended with him being found guilty of 34 felonies related to falsifying business documents.

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Obama to bring message of hope 20 years after famous convention speech

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Ex-president headlining in Chicago on Tuesday brings memories of 2004 appeal for unity that inspired Democrats

From “skinny kid with a funny name” to elder statesman: Barack Obama, the former US president, will be the headline speaker at the Democratic national convention in Chicago on Tuesday – 20 years after he first burst on to the national political scene.

Obama, a state legislator from Illinois, was days from his 43rd birthday and months from being elected to the Senate when he was given a slot at the party’s 2004 convention in Boston. “Rising star to woo voters with upbeat keynote speech,” was the Guardian headline on 27 July 2004.

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Obama to deliver ‘forceful affirmation’ for Kamala Harris – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed. Please join us for all the latest developments from day two of the DNC in Chicago in our dedicated live blog:

Joe Biden described selecting Kamala Harris as his vice-president as “the best decision I made my whole career”, and he drew a sharp contrast between her and Donald Trump. Mocking Trump over his recent conviction on 34 felony counts, Biden said:

Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level of more than 50 years, and crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.

When he talks about America being a failing nation, he says, we’re losing. He’s the loser. He’s dead wrong.

Guess who cast the tie-breaking vote? Vice-president, soon-to-be-president, Kamala Harris.

With a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved.

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Barack and Michelle Obama to speak on second day of Democratic national convention

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Theme set for Tuesday of Kamala Harris’s ‘bold vision’ will contrast with Trump’s dystopian vision of the US

The Democratic National Convention enters its second day in Chicago on Tuesday with Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign seeking to lay out what it calls a “bold vision for America” as it seeks to move forward from Joe Biden’s emotional valedictory speech.

Carrying the flame on the second night of primetime speeches will be the Obamas, with Michelle Obama addressing the convention shortly before her husband Barack takes the stage. The couple’s endorsement of Harris in July was seminal in securing the Democratic presidential nomination for the current US vice-president, helping to bypass a potentially ugly internal fight.

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What to know about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz

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Marian Shields Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama, dies at 86

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Robinson, who moved to White House when Barack Obama won presidency, helped to care for granddaughters Malia and Sasha

Marian Shields Robinson, the mother of Michelle Obama who moved with the first family to the White House when son-in-law Barack Obama was elected president, has died. She was 86.

Robinson’s death was announced in an online tribute by Michelle Obama, and included details of the time she spent living in the White House, as an informal first grandmother to the Obama children.

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Michelle Obama says she ‘couldn’t stand’ husband Barack for 10 years

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Former first lady says caring for their young daughters put strain on their marriage in Revolt TV interview promoting latest book

Former first lady Michelle Obama has said she “couldn’t stand” her husband for a decade while the couple’s children were young.

In frank comments to the Black news station Revolt TV last week, Obama – one of the most popular women in America – said that raising children had put strains on her three-decade marriage to Barack Obama, the US president for two four-year terms beginning in 2009.

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Michelle Obama says Americans ‘weren’t ready’ for her natural hair

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Former first lady said she decided to straighten her hair as Americans were ‘just getting adjusted’ to a Black first family

Michelle Obama said that Americans “weren’t ready” for her natural hair during Barack Obama’s tenure at the White House.

The former first lady was speaking at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC on Tuesday to promote her new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, with the former talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres.

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Viola Davis says ‘critics absolutely serve no purpose’

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Oscar-winning actor hits back at critics over negative reviews of her performance as Michelle Obama in drama series The First Lady

Viola Davis has responded to widespread criticism of her latest performance by stating that critics “serve no purpose”.

The Oscar-winning actor has received negative feedback from both critics and on social media for playing Michelle Obama in the Showtime series The First Lady. In an interview with the BBC, Davis called the response “incredibly hurtful”.

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‘Big bark but no bite’: Obamas mourn former first dog Bo

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Barack and Michelle Obama express sorrow at passing of ‘true friend and companion’

Former President Barack Obama’s dog Bo died on Saturday from cancer, the Obamas said on social media.

News of Bo’s death was shared by Obama and his wife, Michelle, on Instagram, where both expressed sorrow at the passing of a dog the former president described as a “true friend and loyal companion.”

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Michelle Obama says she’s moving towards retirement to ‘chase summer’

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Former first lady, 57, says the pivot will allow more time for her and her husband, Barack, to ‘be with each other’

Michelle Obama, the former first lady, hinted at plans for a graceful step out of the limelight and towards retirement, in a recent interview with People Magazine. She shared that the pivot would allow more time for her and husband, Barack, to “be with each other”.

Since leaving the White House, the pair has taken on multiple, selective projects, from campaigning for Joe Biden to securing deals with Netflix and Spotify.

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A Promised Land by Barack Obama review – an impressive but incomplete memoir

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Gary Younge on a memoir with vivid detail and captivating pillow talk, but one that leaves out too much to give a clear view of Obama’s first term

“I guess the question for you, Mr President, is: ‘Do you feel lucky?’” In his new autobiography, Barack Obama recalls being asked this by his director of legislative affairs, Phil Schiliro, at a time when his options for passing comprehensive healthcare reform were narrowing.

“I looked at him and smiled. ‘Where are we, Phil?’”
Schiliro paused, assuming a catch. ‘The Oval Office?’
‘And what’s my name?’
‘Barack Obama.’
Obama beamed. ‘Barack Hussein Obama. And I’m here with you in the Oval Office. Brother, I always feel lucky.’

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‘We went through our rough patches’: Obama on married life as president – video

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Former US president Barack Obama discusses how his marriage was affected by the constant pressures that come with being US president. 

In an interview for Apple TV, Obama told Oprah Winfrey he and wife Michelle 'went through our rough patches in the White House ... but I tell you that the thing that I think we were good about was talking stuff through, never losing fundamental love and respect for each other, and prioritising our kids'

• Barack Obama rules out role in Biden cabinet – 'Michelle would leave me'

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‘Fear, division, chaos’: Michelle Obama video blasts Trump over racial injustice

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Former first lady says president ‘not up to the job’ in passionate plea for voters to support Joe Biden

Michelle Obama has released a video sharply criticising Donald Trump’s record as president, particularly over the coronavirus pandemic and his approach to racial injustice, and urging the Americans to vote for Joe Biden.

Describing him as “not up to the job” in the 24-minute video posted to her social media channels, the former first lady said the Trump presidency was accompanied by “a constant drumbeat of fear, division and chaos that’s threatening to spiral out of control.”

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‘Racism, fear, division’: Michelle Obama attacks Trump in election plea – video

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In a speech highly critical of the president, the former first lady made an impassioned plea to Americans to vote for Joe Biden in the election on 3 November. Among the condemnations of Trump's presidency, she criticised his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying he 'doubled down on division and resentment', adding: 'What the president is doing is, once again, patently false ... it’s morally wrong ... and yes, it is racist'

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Michelle Obama on marriage: ‘There are times when you can’t stand each other’

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Former first lady says in latest episode of her podcast that marriage should be approached like picking a basketball team

Michelle Obama said there have been times when she wanted to “push Barack out of the window” and that marriage should be approached like picking a basketball team in a frank discussion about relationships.

In the latest episode of her Spotify podcast, the former first lady said young couples, especially when they have small children, struggle to deal with tiredness, stress and sharing roles and they give up on their relationship.

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Michelle Obama: ‘I’m just devastated by the shootings in Kenosha’

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The former first lady condemned the shooting of Jacob Blake by police as well as killings of Wisconsin protesters

Michelle Obama said she was “devastated” by the shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this week and is “exhausted and frustrated” at the trauma of Black and brown people in the US.

In a lengthy statement released on Friday, the former first lady condemned the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Wisconsin man shot seven times in the back by police in front of his children, as well as the shooting of three protesters by an alleged 17-year-old rightwing militant in the protests that followed.

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DNC 2020: from emotional speeches backing Biden to fiery warnings on Trump – video highlights

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A unique Democratic national convention gave countless memorable moments, from Kamala Harris's historic nomination as vice-president, to Michelle Obama's harsh words for Donald Trump. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama echoed her words by giving scathing reviews of the Trump administration. Others who showed their support for Harris and Joe Biden's nomination included healthcare activist Ady Barkan, former US congresswoman and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords, comedian Sarah Cooper, actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus and singer Billie Eilish

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Trump says Michelle Obama is the one ‘in over her head’ – video

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Donald Trump has responded to the scathing speech Michelle Obama delivered at the virtual Democratic National Convention on Monday, in which the former first lady said that Trump is 'clearly in over his head'. In turn, the US president said it was Obama who was in over her head and also criticised her for not delivering her speech live

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Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and anti-Trump Republicans: day one at the DNC – video highlights

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At the first day of a Democratic national convention unlike any other in history, Michelle Obama urged voters to head to the polls 'like their lives depend on it'. She was joined by many other speakers attacking Donald Trump's presidency. Speaking online because of coronavirus restrictions, the former first lady's words were echoed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who likened Trump to tyrannical Roman emperor Nero. The first day of the convention was hosted by actor Eva Longoria and featured contributions by George Floyd's family, voters and politicians from across the country and even a former Republican governor

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