Donald Trump’s biggest threat now ‘moving to the foreground’
As the US President’s approval ratings tumble, one of his biggest foes is gathering steam – and could pose a devastating threat.
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OPINION
If you really want some not-before-bedtime reading, check out the annual Survey of American Fears. (Suck it, Jeffrey Archer’s latest).
Their most recent findings from late last year showed that, aside from loved ones dying, government corruption, North Korea, Russia and nuclear war were the biggies.
Just to prove rationality does not live in the 50 states, the nation then promptly re-elected Donald Trump to the White House, a man who thinks his mate Vlad should have his own Oval Office backdoor key.
But what about him? What’s Mr Trump afraid of?
Well, now we know, thanks to an influential New York power player – or more accurately, we know who he’s afraid of: She’s not in politics, she’s not a Republican and she’s not even his frosty wife.
The answer: a re-emergent Michelle Obama.
And the timing could not be worse for the President.
In the couple of months since Mr Trump started getting Elon Musk all over the Oval Office, two things have been happening simultaneously.
He has been chumming up to Vladimir Putin, doing his best to trigger a full-blown constitutional crisis by disregarding court rulings and ignoring Mr Musk’s whining to play Fortnite with him as his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) strips the government for spare parts.
And meanwhile, Mrs Obama has been launching Michelle 2.0.
Last week, in-the-know media figure and Daily Beast supremo Joanna Coles said on her podcast: “Michelle is moving to the foreground which may worry Donald Trump”, with him having been “very concerned” about the possibility of her running for the presidency.
“Michelle is emerging as her own broadcaster with her podcast,” Ms Coles noted.
“She’s stepping forward as Melania steps back.”
Though Mrs Obama has made it clear she has about as much interest in running for office as joining Ann Coulter’s book club, there is no one better placed to take him on.
The former First Lady could do him a huge amount of damage right now.
Over the last couple of weeks, as the president’s numbers have plummeted with the majority of Americans now disapproving of his job performance, Mrs Obama has put herself back in media circulation and dialled up her public presence.
First she launched a new podcast – IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, co-hosted with her brother – which is all about her being “at her most relaxed and honest”.
Then she took to the SXSW Festival and then, only this week, made a headline-grabbing appearance on what is now the world’s biggest podcast, Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie (suck it, Joe Rogan).
An out-there, “honest” Mrs Obama who clearly doesn’t give a damn anymore? The president has every reason to be “worried”.
Because the Becoming author’s increased visibility comes at a critical time.
The latest numbers from YouGov show nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Americans have a positive opinion of her – versus 46 per cent for him.
Republican insiders have made it clear how much of a threat Mr Trump has viewed her as – and should still.
In the run up to the 2024 election, the party was deeply concerned that the former First Lady might run for office herself – and before Kamala Harris took over as candidate, Reuters polling identified her as the only Democrat who could beat Mr Trump.
At the time, Republican insider Monica Crowley said that Mrs Obama could put the party “in a very difficult position” because she is “very popular, and immune to criticism”.
Remember, more than 264 million Americans did not vote for this man, no matter how bigly he reckons his mandate might be.
So even Mrs Obama actively speaking out against Mr Trump would be a game changer – and she is uniquely positioned to exploit his biggest vulnerabilities.
He’s thin-skinned, failing to deliver on campaign promises (why can’t Americans afford to buy eggs and why don’t they own Greenland yet?) and is doing things like decimating the widely-supported Department of Veterans Affairs.
There is a gaping void and very obvious need for a unifying figure to emerge out of the mists to point this out very loudly and to lead the anti-Trump charge.
And Mrs Obama’s greatest superpower is that he can’t get to her.
Mr Trump’s MO is simple – he attacks, belittles and steamrollers over his opponents, going after his foes with an acid tongue and then all but siccing his two-finger-typing base on them.
Mrs Obama has proven herself gloriously immune.
She is simply unafraid.
Last year, she gave a brilliant, impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention calling him “a small man trying to make himself big” by exploiting “pain and anger and fear”.
“In any other profession or arena, Trump’s critical track record and amoral character would be embarrassing, shameful and disqualifying,” she said.
Mr Trump then proceeded to reveal how much she had clearly gotten to him by calling her the only name he can ever think of to call a woman – “nasty”.
A longtime aide told the political website The Hill: “She campaigned the hardest against him personally, of anyone”.
In January, Mrs Obama staged the biggest and most brutal rejection of Mr Trump’s presidency so far when she blatantly refused to attend his inauguration, not even bothering to give some made-up reason like it was her cat’s quinceanera, or that she had to re-alphabetise Barack’s socks.
If Mrs Obama came out swinging against him, she would prove to be a magnetic, rallying figure and a potent celebrity counterpoint.
Currently, the Dems are an amorphous blob of hand-wringing, stewing-in-their-own-juices-paralysis as they focus group their way to a real-deal authoritarian America.
They have proven themselves to be limper than overcooked spaghetti at any sort of genuine pushback and resistance to Trumpism’s virulent march.
Those 264 million Americans who didn’t cast a vote for him need someone to stand up and to speak out for them.
Where’s the clarion call when you need one?
Mrs Obama is everything Mr Trump is not.
Also, is there anyone else?
Is there any other credible Democratic alternative who has such broad appeal?
During the 2016 campaign, Mrs Obama famously said, “When they go low, we go high” – but today, “going high” just seems overly lofty and wafty and vague.
Nine years on, Trumpworld keeps excavating and digging up new and exciting forms of low. In 2025, as the going gets tough?
It’s time for the tough to get lowing.
Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles
Originally published as Donald Trump’s biggest threat now ‘moving to the foreground’
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