2020 race: Donald Trump sowing chaos and not fit to lead, says Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama launches the Democratic National Convention with a scathing attack on the character of Donald Trump.

‘Chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy’: Michelle Obama addresses the virtual convention on Tuesday AEST. Picture: AFP

Michelle Obama has launched a scathing attack on the character of Donald Trump, accusing him of sowing chaos and division and of not being up to the job of president.

In her most pointed attack yet, the former first lady used her address to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday to portray a dystopian view of America as a country crushed and hurting under the misguided rule of a leader lacking understanding or empathy.

“Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she said in a primetime address by video to the virtual convention.

“He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment­. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us.

“Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy.’

Ms Obama accused the President of labelling fellow citizens enemies of the state “while embold­en­ing torch-bearing white sup­rem­acists”. “Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation. A nation that’s underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character,” she said.

Ms Obama was the headline act on the first day of the four-day DNC, the first virtual convention of its kind due to the risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The two-hour primetime broadcast, hosted by actress Eva Longoria, was a deeply underwhelming and often clunky mixture of patriotism, interviews with ordinary Americans and speeches from Democrat politicians.

Ms Obama ended her speech by endorsing former vice-president Joe Biden, who she described as “a profound, decent man guided by faith”.

“(He) knows what it takes to rescue our economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country,’’ she said. “And he listens. He will tell the truth and trusts science. He will make smart plans and manage a good team, and he will govern as someone who has lived a life that the rest of us can recognise.’’

But the virtual broadcast of the first day of the convention was frequently disjointed and filled with technical glitches. It lacked anything like the emotion and passion generated by a traditional nomin­ating convention. Democratic soc­ialist Bernie Sanders did his best to inspire some passion in an address from his home in Vermont. Senator Sanders called on his left-wing supporters to vote for the more moderate platform of Mr Biden, despite their policy differences.

“My friends, I say to you, and to everyone who supported other candidates in this primary and to those who may have voted for ­Donald Trump in the last election: the future of our democracy is at stake. The future of our economy is at stake. The future of our planet is at stake,” Senator Sanders said.

‘Who wants to listen to Michelle Obama do a taped speech?’: Donald Trump in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

The 79-year-old said this ­coming November election was the most important in the modern history of the US.

“We must come together, defeat­ Donald Trump, and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice-president. My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine.”

Mr Trump, campaigning in Wisconsin, chided Ms Obama for pre-taping her speech. “Who wants to listen to Michelle Obama do a taped speech?” he said.

“You want to go for a snooze. You know when you hear a speech is taped, it’s like there’s nothing very exciting about it, right?”

The President also stepped up his attacks on his Democrat opponent­, describing him as “a Trojan horse for socialism”.

“Joe Biden is the puppet of left-wing extremists trying to erase our borders, eliminate our police, indoctrina­te our children, vilify our heroes, take away our energy,” he said.

Mr Trump said he would lose the coming election only if the ­system was “rigged” against him.

The first day also featured speeches by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as former president aspirant Amy Klobuchar.

Senator Klobuchar said: “We need a president for all of America. He’s a man of scrappy working-class roots, he understands redempti­on and knows resilience.”

Ms Whitmer, whose state was ravaged early by the virus, accused Mr Trump of being a leader “who fights his fellow Americans rather than fight the virus that’s killing us and our economy”.

The convention also showed speeches from disenchanted Repub­licans who urged voters to vote for Mr Biden rather than for the Republican incumbent.

The Republican former governor of Ohio John Kasich also addressed­ the convention. “I’m a lifelong Republican, but that attachmen­t holds second place to my responsibility to my country,’’ he said. “That’s why I’ve chosen to appear at this convention. In normal­ times, something like this would probably never happen, but these are not normal times.”