Michelle Obama has had enough.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” the former first lady said Tuesday during her rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention, referring to Trump’s litany of racist attacks against her and her husband, including Trump’s infamous conspiracy theory questioning her husband’s place of birth. “See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black.”
The crowd at Chicago’s United Center roared with applause. But then, there was the kicker.
“Wait, I wanna know,” she continued, waving her finger. “Who’s gonna tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?!”
The crowd went electric. It was such a contrast from the Michelle Obama of eight years ago, who famously advised Democrats in her convention speech that year: “When they go low, we go high.”
The Michelle Obama of 2024 was saucier, looser and more direct. At times, she punctuated her lines by shaking her head in exasperation, as if she was asking the crowd: “Can you believe this shit?!”
Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
She seamlessly toggled between modes, sometimes even within a single sentence, to get more to the point, like when she launched into the call-to-action portion of her speech. “Michelle Obama is asking you — no, I’m telling y’all — to do something!” she said.
When her husband took the stage, he gave mostly his standard fare (Michelle Obama is a tough act to follow, as he himself even acknowledged). But the former president also showed signs of a different approach toward his successor. When mentioning Trump’s strange obsession with the size of his campaign rally crowds, Barack Obama made a hand gesture that looked an awful lot like he was mocking the size of Trump’s genitals. A dick joke? From Obama? Try explaining any of that to a time traveler from 2016.
Democrats have finally figured it out. Going low might actually work as a rhetorical strategy. Or perhaps not exactly going as low as Trump and his base, but doing their version of it: saying it plain and calling things exactly what they are. It’s all part of a consistent and marked tonal shift, catalyzed by the ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.
On a near-daily basis, Harris’ campaign has been sending out snarky press releases that embrace more casual and internet-savvy language, like asking: “Is Donald Trump OK?” or inserting email subject lines like, “Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except JD Vance.” Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz popularized calling Republicans “weird,” and it has caught on as an effective line of attack.
While traversing the campaign trail, the duo has recognized it’s possible to do a lot of things at once. They haven’t abandoned the seriousness and substance of the race: warning voters of the grave dangers of a second Trump presidency. But they’ve figured out how to do that while also injecting joy and fun into the campaign, and making everything plain and simple for audiences.
Throughout the week, DNC organizers have capitalized on the rhetorical shift too. Between segments of the convention, they’ve aired videos of Trump’s direct words: supercuts of his lies, attacks and nonsensical sidebars, for all to see and hear with their own eyes and ears.
Many of the convention speakers have landed a cornucopia of sick burns and digs at Trump. On Monday, the president of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain, led the crowd in chants of “Trump’s a scab!”
Fresh off of coaching the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, NBA legend Steve Kerr brought down the house by dunking on Trump in the conclusion of his speech.
J. Scott Applewhite via Associated Press
“In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump: ‘Night night!’” the decorated coach said, taking a page from the playbook of his star player. Kerr then placed his hands in the same sleepy-time gesture made famous by Curry, and walked off stage.
All of it has been spectacular television — and it’s hitting Trump where it hurts. No doubt it will get under his very thin skin.
But it also serves a greater purpose: For Democrats trying to energize voters and impart a convincing reason to vote, giving it to people straight is a prudent strategy. And there are few better people to do it than the Obamas, two of the best orators of our time — or of any time in American politics.