Michelle Obama: Trump Goes Against Everything America Stands For

During a City College commencement address in New York, First Lady Michelle Obama threw jabs that some say were directed at Donald Trump.

Though she did not address the presumptive Republican nominee by name, she drew several parallels to him, urging the graduates to shun those who “build walls to keep people out,” reports Politico.

“They seem to view our diversity as a threat to be contained rather than as a resource to be tapped,” Mrs. Obama said. “They tell us to be afraid of those who are different, to be suspicious of those with whom we disagree. They act as if name-calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate. As if anger and intolerance should be our default state rather than optimism and openness that have always been the engine of our progress.”

The first lady explained that she has personally seen what it looks like “when ideas like these take hold” in other countries and how it makes them “less vital, less hopeful, less free.”

She commented again on the idea of building walls to keep out immigrants, saying that Google, eBay, the artificial heart, the telephone, blue jeans, “God Bless America,” the Brooklyn Bridge and the White House were all created by people who were born outside of the U.S., adding that those who “work hard for what they have and then reach back and help others after them” make the country great.

“Here in America, we don’t let our differences tear us apart,” she said, referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. “Not here. Because we know that our greatness comes from when we appreciate each other’s strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other, because in this country, it’s never been each person for themselves. No, we’re all in this together. We always have been.”

It is no secret that her husband is no Trump fan either. Indeed, President Barack Obama said in February that the billionaire businessman “will not be president” because Americans “recognize that being president is a serious job,” according to The Hill.

“It’s not hosting a talk show or a reality show, it’s not promotion, it’s not marketing, it’s hard,” he said. “And a lot of people count on us getting it right, and it’s not a matter of pandering and doing whatever gets you in the news on a given day.”

Sources: Politico, The Hill / Photo Credit: Petty Officer 1st Class Mark O’Donald, USN/Wikimedia Commons