Tonight, at Hillary Clinton’s rally in Philadelphia, Michelle Obama brought down the house as she called for Americans to head to the polls and cast their votes for the nation’s first female president.
As Raw Story reports, Obama was introduced by Bill Clinton, who referred to her as “the finest surrogate...any candidate for president has ever known.”
In her remarks, which were just a bit shy of 10 minutes, the First Lady sang Hillary Clinton’s praises, emphasizing her readiness for the role of Commander-in-Chief and declaring that she is a leader “we can trust.”
“Speaking here tonight is perhaps the last and most important thing that I can do for my country as First Lady,” Obama told the crowd.
Over the course of the election cycle, Michelle Obama has alluded to Donald Trump by implicit comparison, but she has always refrained from speaking his name. Tonight was no different. She called for America to vote for “a leader who takes this job seriously,” and asserted that the nation’s daughters would be safe under a Clinton presidency. She moreover noted the importance “that our sons understand that truly strong men are compassionate and kind.”
Obama gestured to Trump’s xenophobic and bigoted platform as well, stating, “We deserve a leader who sees our diversity not as a threat, but as a blessing.”
But ultimately, she reminded the crowd that it was the responsibility of United States citizens to ensure Hillary Clinton’s victory.
“This election is on us,” she reminded. “If we get out and vote tomorrow, Hillary Clinton will win. If we stay home or play around with a protest vote, Hillary’s opponent will win. Period.”
Watch her full speech in the video below.