Yahoo Lifestyle Michelle Obama's subtle swipe at Trump after election defeat
Former first lady Michelle Obama has taken a subtle swipe at Donald Trump after he failed to claim victory in the US election.
As rival Joe Biden crossed the 270 threshold needed to win, with AP’s election count reporting the Democrat secured Pennsylvania, former adviser in the Obama administration Van Jones told CNN the result was vindication.
“It’s easier to be a parent this morning. It’s easier to be a dad. It’s easier to tell your kids, character matters. It matters. Telling the truth matters. Being a good person matters,” he said.
He added life would become easier for many minorities who felt the president didn’t want them in the country.
“If you’re an immigrant, you don’t have to worry if the president is going to be happier to have babies snatched away...” Jones said.
He also spoke of Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer earlier this year.
“The ‘I can’t breathe’, that wasn’t just George Floyd. That’s a lot of people have felt they couldn’t breathe,” he said.
Michelle Obama then shared a clip of Jones’ comments on Facebook in a subtle jab at Trump following his loss.
“Van, thank you for expressing the sorrow and relief that we all feel,” she wrote.
“My hope is that those who hoped for a different outcome will take a moment to empathise with the pain so many of us have felt over the past four years.”
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Barack Obama’s touching post
In a touching post of congratulations to the president-elect, former leader Barack Obama said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris, who will act as the next vice president.
“In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen. And once every vote is counted, president-elect Biden and vice president-elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory,” he wrote on Instagram.
A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on
“We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be president and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he’ll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming president ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril.
“I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote.
“So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support.”
Country remains ‘bitterly divided’
Obama continued in his post that the tight election result showed the country remained “deeply and bitterly divided” and urged Americans to work together.
“It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God,” Obama said.
“Finally, I want to thank everyone who worked, organised, and volunteered for the Biden campaign, every American who got involved in their own way, and everybody who voted for the first time. Your efforts made a difference. Enjoy this moment. Then stay engaged. I know it can be exhausting. But for this democracy to endure, it requires our active citizenship and sustained focus on the issues – not just in an election season, but all the days in between.”
Obama said the democracy needed everybody more than ever and he and his wife Michelle looked forward to supporting Biden and the incoming first lady however they could.
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