Transcripts For CNNW First Ladies 20201128

Run for the presidency, who happened to be a man. Donald trump wins the presidency. And the man won. If that isnt blatant sexism in this country, i dont know what else is. Its a shocking defeat. More americans vote for Hillary Clinton than any other losing president ial candidate in history. She is one of the most important women in our nations history. She helped move the ball forward, in unbelievable ways, against incredible odds. I know we have, still, not shattered that highest and hardest Glass Ceiling. But someday, someone will and, hopefully, sooner than we might think, right now. Hillary clinton planted the seeds for that. She just was, as always, 10 or 15 years ahead of her time. Hillary was a trailblazer. She blew up the idea of what a first lady is supposed to be. The impact that shes made goes beyond what a president could have done. And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world, to pursue and achieve your own dreams. There are a few first ladies, who really are milestones. Cultural milestones. Who help us understand whats going on in larger society. It took me some time to be doing a little dreaming to be standing here today. She hadnt forgotten that journey and the challenges that she faced. In this great country, where a girl from the sougth side of chicago can go to college and law school. And the son of a single mother from hawaii can go all the way to the white house. Its the idea that you can break through. That, much more is possible than you might have thought. Michelle still carries that forward. Every time she walks into a room. When youve worked hard and done well and walk through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. No. You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. From the moment they enter into the white house, it becomes historic. But, this is, also, a representation of americans better selves. That is the story of this country. The story that has brought me to this stage, tonight. The story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation. But, who kept on striving and hoping, and doing what needed to be done. [ cheers and applause ] so, dont let anyone, ever, tell you that this country isnt great. That, somehow, we need to make it great, again, because this, right now, is the greatest country on earth. When you were little, did you ever want to be the first lady . No, i didnt. I didnt know i could be the first lady. Sometimes, you can only be what you know exists in the world, and no one like me was ever the first lady of the United States. All first ladies are thrust into the spotlight. But Michelle Obama would be scrutinized more intensely than any of her predecessors. We talk about civil rights history. We talk about all of these series of firsts. This is within our lifetime. Are you prepared to take the oath, senator . I am. It took my breath away. And i thought, oh, my gosh, this is really happening. I stand here, today, humbled by the task before us. The sea of humanity spread, as far as the eye could see. Mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. The reality of what they were about to embark on must have been very, very vivid for her, at that moment. Michelle traveled farther and overcame more on her journey to the white house than any first lady before her. She knew that she was making history, and that her movements would be scrutinized ten times, a hundred times, more than any other first lady. Everything Michelle Obama has been doing in her life has really been preparing her to walk this tightrope. Michelle was integral to Barack Obamas president ial campaign from the beginning. So, were looking forward to the first day of school. Welcome back. I know that all the parents out here are happy to have their kids out of their house. You can admit it. Lets give a cheer for that. 15 months before the election, polls show barack obama trailing Hillary Clinton, by double digits. We got two beautiful, little girls, and we have a wonderful life. Nothing wouldve been more disruptive than a decision to run for the president of the United States. She knew enough about race in america, about breaking barriers, to know what that would mean for her. That she would face constant criticism, constant scrutiny. You know, who would raise their hand, enthusiastically, and say, sign me up for that . But, you know, the reason i said yes was because i am tired of being afraid. The game of politics is to make you afraid so that you dont think. We have a chance to make Something Real happen. Think about that and help us. In schools, church halls, and county fairs, across iowa, michelle tells their story to voters, month after month after month. For someone who avoided politics, for much of her life, she had to take a crash course in it. His political career was always very separate from her. Michelle has never publicly engaged in any of her husbands previous, political campaigns, but she was influential behind the scenes. My first Meaningful Exchange with michelle was when we were filming our first ad. Im barack obama. Im running for the United States senate, and i approve this message to say, yes, we can. Is that too corny . And he turned to michelle and said, mish, what do you think . She just kind of, not corny. So, right away, i understood where i stood in the pantheon of strategic. She was actually the breadwinner in the family. Vice president of Community Affairs and outreach at the university of chicago and that is a big job, and it is a job that she loved. It all changed, of course, when he decided to run for president. Im not giving up my career for my husband. Im giving up my career because i am passionate about this. Michelle was such an impressive person, and we thought she is going to kill out there. Let me tell you a little about Michelle Obama. Im a southside girl. Very simple. My parents were workingclass folks. What we saw, in my household, was hard work and sacrifice, firsthand. She just told them her story, and her story is not that different than half the people she would meet in iowa. She talked about her parents, and how she was raised. My father had multiple sclerosis, but he went to work every single day. He was never late, and he never made excuses. And then, she moved into the barack obama years. Mixed guy named barack obama, who grew up in hawaii. Thats what i learned about him, on paper. I thought, this guys got to be weird. Probably seems as unorthodox to her audiences as he did back in 1989. Michelle was involved in recruiting a prominent law firm in chicago. And across her desk comes the resume of this hotshot from harvard, who is being brought in as a summer associate. The firm asked if she would be his mentor. She meets him on the first day. He shows up late, but they really hit it off. At a certain point, barack is interested in something more. He wants to go on a date. She agrees. I learned that he became a community organizer. I was impressed that this guy could have been making money, but hes working on the far south side with a bunch of churches. The entrance of barack obama into her life really shifted where she was headed. I met mrs. Obama in the summer of 1991 when she was michelle robinson. And her resume was sent to me. Said, you know, brilliant, young lawyer, exploring opportunities of public service. I gave her a job offer, on the spot. And then, a few days later, she said, ive got bad news. My fiance doesnt think its a good idea. And i said well who is your fiance . And why do we care what he thinks . When i look back on it, i think they were very mature for their time. Theres not a step in his career that he took without her sitting there as well. It is a true partnership. In her memoir becoming, michelle describes their wedding in october, 1992. We stood there, with our future still unwritten. Whatever was out there, wed step into it, together. 15 years later, their shared future takes a dramatic turn. Obama surges from behind to win iowa. Michelles months on the stump pay off. But now, the couple must confront a new kind of challenge. There were concerns about his security, that were very real and very dark. Barack obama is given a security detail, earlier than any other president ial candidate, in history. There was a resignation in the black community, that you cannot rise up without being chopped down. Weve seen what has happened to iconic, black leaders in america. Medgar evers. Malcolm x. Dr. King. If you come from the black community, almost every hero you read about was killed. And only michelle, who certainly had more to lose than the rest of us, in the risk he was taking, could reassure people that it was worth the risk. We need a barack obama presidency, right now she would go in a room, and she wouldnt leave the room until every Single Person in that room was committed. But, because she was so effective, she came under attack. Hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback and, for the first time in my adult lifetime, im really proud of my country. And not just because barack has done well. But because i think people are hungry for change. It is an unfortunate statement. I dont think it came out the way she intended. Shes got some splaining to do. Everybody knew exactly what michelle meant. This has been a tough country to be black. To say that we are on the verge, now, of maybe putting some of that behind us. She got smacked down, hard, for it. I just want to make the statement that i have and always will be proud of my country. A conversation i didnt think wed need to have but, apparently, we do. This, ladies and gentlemen, is called a fist pound. The reaction to the fist bump was ridiculous. Could they even be jihadists . Thats what one person suggested on fox news. One Television Network referred to her as Barack Obamas bay by mama. Magnified by a million. And i think there were forces that felt that, if they humiliated her enough, if they insulted her enough, maybe she and her entire family would just go away. But they didnt. I called her in to show her what people were seeing. And i turned the sound down and just let her see herself. She got it, immediately. She was out on the campaign trail, getting more and more passionate. And shed been so effective, that i didnt see that it was being perceived as angry. The easy trope of the angry, black woman. When, in fact, what she was displaying was passion. Nobody had taken the time to flag for her, sooner, that she has to stop and pause and smile. Or she has to use her hand gestures, in a different way. She felt like she had failed, and she wasnt used to failing. She had a choice to make. Go back home, and pick up life with her children and her highpowered job. Or, does she just try to figure it out . In her memoir, michelle remembers the impact of that moment. This was a turnaround point. No one, i realized, was going to look out for me, unless i pushed for it. Ah sugar, ah honey honey you are my candy girl and youve got me wanting you applebees 2 for 20. Its date night in the neighborhood. So now that medicare annual enrollment is here, its time for a plan that gives you more for your medicare dollar an aarp Medicare Advantage plan from unitedhealthcare. Call unitedhealthcare today to get 0 copays for all primary care doctor visits, 0 copays on preventive dental, and 0 copays on hundreds of prescriptions. 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Her favorable rate jumped 20 points, overnight. And lets stand together to elect barack obama president of the United States of america. Thank you. That was a real, watershed event in her public life. Michelle has survived a political trial by fire and emerges a star. Sasha, how do you think mom did . I think she did good. Boosting her husbands popularity, as well as her own. I think so, too. And here we are. Now cnn can project at 11 00 eastern time, that barack obama is the next president of the United States, the first africanamerican president in u. S. History. It feels like Something Really big and bold has happened here. Like nothing ever in our lifetimes did we expect this to happen. I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years. In her memoir, michelle describes that night. The love of my life it felt like her family got launched out of a cannon and into some strange underwater universe. The nations next first lady, Michelle Obama. [ cheers ] i still get verklempt thinking about what it meant, that image of this splendid africanamerican family, now the first family of the country. The next day, headlines said change has come to america. And i remember thinking at the time, people will interpret that headline in very different ways. On inauguration day, everyone was celebrating, but there was in the back of everyones mind, the fact in the morning, we were going to come in to face an Epic Financial crisis, two wars, and more pressures than any president had faced probably since franklin roosevelt. And michelle, the gods honest truth is i dont think she knew what she was going to make of the position. It took her some time to figure it out. There is, as michelle puts it, no handbook for incoming first ladies. The role of the first lady is a throwback. We set up the white house as a royal court in a way. And i think for Michelle Obama, a modern woman, a career woman, to suddenly be the great mans wife was an adjustment. She describes the role as a strange kind of sidecar to the presidency. The first lady is not a job. I mean Hillary Clinton learned that when she turned it into a job. We dont want that. Thats going too far. She said the one that she took the greatest inspiration from was laura bush. After a bruising campaign, michelle is determined to control her own message. She starts with a simple statement, deeper than it first appears. How would you define your role as first lady . You know, i joke that my first job is going to be mom in chief because with little kids i have to make sure that their feet are on the ground. Obviously shes going to be mom in chief. Shes not shy about being the mom in chief. Sort of define her role more as first lady. She was concerned about her daughters but was also just a savvy way of saying, dont worry. This isnt a twofer. You know, im not here to make policy despite my executive experience. If i want to play the traditional first lady role, i can play the traditional first lady role, but dont be fooled. In a country that consistently demonizes black mothers, welfare queens, drug addicts, because of the decline of the black family. A statement as simple as, im first mom and thats my priority, is something that is profound because its something thats been denied to black women for so long. She decided that in creating her role as first lady, that she was always going to keep in mind the young Michelle Obama. She says in her memoir, i grew up to the sound of striving. And thats what the south side of chicago was, one of the biggest receptacles for people who were leaving alabama and mississippi. Michelles great aunt and great uncle bought a house on the south shore and invited michelles mother and father, and of course michelle and craig, who were then toddlers, to move in with them. She grew up with cousins around the corner and grandparents around the corner. Her parents and grandparents were ambitious, they were smart but there were obstacles every step of the way. I grew up playing basketball with michelles older brother craig. They were shaped by the community. They were forged by the community. And i think she acutely felt the inequity in resources, the inequity in education opportunity. In many ways, chicago is the place to create Michelle Obama. Its a place that is undergirded by a lot of the racial tensions and inequality that will shape her viewpoint in the world. This is where dr. King went and was defeated. The poverty and the racism in chicago is so profound that even dr. King cant move it an inch. I have never seen even in mississippi and alabama a mob as hostile and as hatefilled as i am seeing in chicago. Chicago is a place where politicians are corrupt and idealists go to get defeated. She grew up in the middle of all that. It had been a very long time since politics had been a source of inspiration for anybody. For many, the obamas represent the triumph of inspirational politics, but michelles optimism is tempered by what she calls the ugly red versus blue dynamic, which has taken over washington. She goes to watch her husband give his first speech to a joint session of congress. Members of congress, the first lady of the United States. [ applause ] shes looking over this sea as she describes it, a sea of whiteness and maleness. This is ceremonial. But its more than that. Its symbolic. Now is the time to act boldly and wisely. She is very aware of the body language and the expressions of many republicans in the way that their arms are crossed. In her memoir, michelle recalls that republican members of congress looked obstinate and angry. The American People expect to us to build common ground. More than anything, she adds, it seemed they just wanted barack to fail. Thank you and god bless you. And may god bless the United States of america. Michelle watches as all of the republicans remain seated, but the first lady is being watched as well. The next day she gets a lesson about life in the spotlight. This may have been one of the most talkedabout moments from last night. Michelle obama and her sleeveless dress. Its style over substance. Its always unfair, but it was especially unfair for Michelle Obama because Jackie Kennedy wasnt criticized for completely changing the look of the first lady. With Michelle Obama showing a liking for the sleeveless look, even in winter, baring arms has a whole new meaning inside the beltway. People zeroed in on her arms because they were not the arms of a fragile damsel who was white. Nonwhite americans have for years looked at a white first lady and were so able to say that she represented them. But i think it becomes much more challenging for some white americans to look at a black first lady and see themselves in her. 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Four months into the obamas first term, michelle takes her First Official trip abroad accompanying her husband to london for the g20 summit. That level of scrutiny is unlike anything you have ever experienced and will ever experience. Everything thats going on camera could at any given point become a thing. The first lady is a hugger. She hugs all kinds of people. She hugged the queen, and people clutched their pearls. The big deal is the queen is an almost sacred person. Perhaps not known in the republics. The queen seemed fine. I think she hugged her back. The queen made the first move. For all i know, this is a break of white house protocol. The next day while her husband huddles with other g20 leaders, the cameras follow michelle as she meets with their spouses. But she wasnt going to go as a figure head and a spouse. She actually wanted to interact with real people. And so michelle makes a solo visit to a girls school a few miles across london but worlds away from buckingham palace. Everyone had rumors going around, whispers on the playground. I remember seeing snipers on the roof and thinking, okay, this is someone really important. Please welcome to the stage the first lady of the United States of america. [ cheering ] michelle writes, looking at those london girls, i almost felt myself falling backwards into my own past. She said, i see myself in them. And im not sure that weve heard first ladies speak like that before. She grew up surrounded by a lot of people who werent able to go as far as their talents would take them. They were placing all their hopes and their dreams in their children. You have to be stronger, smarter, you have to be twice as good with half the resources. And this is something that michelles family, her community, her experiences really instill in her. Theres a little bit of vertigo in that, being told youre going to bust through that Glass Ceiling or burst through that wall and take us forward. All of are you jewels. You are precious and you touch my heart. And it is important for the world to know that there are wonderful girls like you all over the world. She started reading her remarks, and then she stopped reading her remarks and she just talked. We are counting on every single one of you to be the very best that you can be because the world is big, and its full of challenges. And we need strong, smart, confident young women to stand up and take the reins. We know you can do it. We love you. Thank you so much. [ cheers and applause ] that simple statement, i see myself in them, theres so much in that, and not just saying that, but then figuring out how to act on that. My name is alex acosta. Im 12 years old and i want to ask what is your job as first lady . Whats my job . I dont know. Thats a good question. Every first lady is expected to have at least one crusade. Barbara bush, literacy. Nancy reagan, say no to drugs. What can i do that is useful with this role . Michelle wants to focus on young people, but that still leaves a lot of options. Mrs. Obama set some ground rules for us. One was that there is only one elected person in the building and thats the president. So whatever we do should be in service of his agenda because otherwise, why are we doing it . Michelles crusade was to empower children and their parents to eat better. The president and congress are going to begin to address health care reform. Nearly a third of the children in this country are either overweight or obese. There will be less of a burden on health care if people did eat better. The scope of michelles initiative is strategically masked by her simple opening move, which she describes as a harmless and innocent undertaking by a lady with a spade. Hi elmo and his friends are here with someone very, very special, the first lady, mrs. Michelle obama. Hi, everyone. Were here digging up soil because were about to plant a garden. Get some shovels. Lets go. Lets go. I came to help do dinner but also help her develop a big health initiative. When you have one in three kids on track to have diabetes in their lifetime, it doesnt matter what we do with health care if we dont solve that side of the problem. And the garden was step one. When we were doing our first planting, theres kids running around and you could hear all the cameras clicking constantly. She looked at me like, this better work. There they are. Its all pretty cute. Of course were all in favor of healthy eating, but is this really the best way for the first lady to use her considerable influence . Lets move lets move now to first lady Michelle Obama. Shes out promoting her lets move campaign and taking the motto to heart. Every time we saw her jumping rope, playing football, hula hooping, all those fun things were very strategic ways that we were working to weave in these values through our culture. Instead of just talking about this problem and worrying and wringing our hands, its time for us to get going and do something about this. Helping kids get healthier, that seems like a solvable problem. The United States was entering a very partisan, very polarized environment. And even something as innocuous as eating better became politicized. Many of michelles actions have been symbolic. But when she openly supports a legislative agenda, the gloves come off and the attacks ramp up. 31 million American Children participate in the Federal School meals program, and many of these kids consume as many as half of their cat calories daily at school. She has the audacity to say, maybe kids should eat good food. Now, this strikes me as a noncontroversial thing for a mom to say. Well start by updating the law that sets nutrition standards for what our kids eat at school. And yet you would have thought she was ushering in stalinism through the lunchroom. Who should be making decisions, what you eat, School Choice . Should it be the government or the parents . It should be the parents. There conservatives and republicans who are always looking for evidence that democrats want to tell them how to live. It is the nanny state. It is not a nanny state. Some republican conservatives believe democrats would love the federal government to be involved in all aspects of your life. Its no longer father knows best or mother knows best. Its what government knows best. Despite the pushback, michelle stays on message. What were doing is creating a new normal where there just wasnt junk food in the schools. And 18 months after launching her garden, she enjoys her first legislative victory. The healthy hunger free kids act passes through the white house with bipartisan support. In december 2010, the president signs it into law. My husband worked very hard to make sure that this bill was a priority, and i am grateful to you. Because i would have been sleeping on the couch. [ laughter ] uhhuh. But i am thrilled to be here. We wont go into that. [ laughter ] lets just say, got done. Its a big win but the Food Industry fights back, doubling spending on lobbyists to undermine the laws implementation. Well, now one of the first ladys major Health Initiatives is in jeopardy. They say pizza qualifies as a vegetable because it has two tablespoons of tomato paste. There is a lot of money at stake in selling people a lot of really untheyhealthy food. But our top priority was to take these issues and put them in the mainstream of our culture. And thats what we did. Michelle knows how to handle the political fire that her Nutrition Campaign draws, but personal attacks are different. 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Shes in the sidecar. But at a certain point in the presidency, something changed. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Michelle Obama i dont think there is any first lady in recent memory who so many people are fascinated by. What she is, who she is, her fashions are real, at least they come across as real. And it makes her a star in her own right. Michelle embraces pop culture in a way that no other first lady has ever double before. Shes not a creature of d. C. She didnt consume cable news. She consumed hgtv and ellen. She takes to tv and tv takes to her. Then two years into the first term, michelle steps into a brave new world. So now i just press tweet . Do i press this . She is the first first lady in the age of social media, and that too has transformed the landscape. I did it. Yay im pretty certain there was some consternation about the use of social media by the east wing because it was not done. It was not in anybodys playbook. There are all kinds of people in the white house who are there to say no. Dont do this. Dont take a risk. Its never been done before. Fairly or unfairly, people pay a lot of attention to what the first lady looks like, what the first lady is wearing, and of course what the first lady says. And you could easily see how a phrase could be twisted around. As a lawyer, i was one of the strong naysayers against the president or first lady ever having a twitter account. Because words matter. Every president ial statement is heavily vetted. But we had a young staff who realized that social media was where a lot of the people we were trying to reach were going. Dont waste your time trying to connect with your kids via email. That antiquated method is as useless as morse code. [ laughter ] if you really want to get their attention, use symbols, little symbols. The first lady was, in a sense, the guinea pig. Can you guys do a little dougie . Oh, yeah. There we go. The west wing came to realize that theres an Energy Vortex in the east wing that is a little bit different than theyd seen in previous administrations. After seeing michelles success, the west wing follows suit. There it goes. My tweet has been posted. Thats what im talking about. They realized how incredibly effective a medium social media was for getting points across. Thats going viral. Happy fourth of july, everyone. Militia michelle now has a direct line to millions around the country eager to hear her message. But social media is a twoway street. Careful what you wish for. Social media allows people to say things in a Public Square that they normally wouldnt share at the lunch table. Now im going to think it, say it and put it out for the whole world to read with the hashtag just sayin. Theres so much anger and pure hate every time a public person says anything. Did you see the picture of his wife yesterday . Like shes her mama dressing up in little clothes. The trolling that happened any time there was coverage of her was unlike anything any nader had faced before. Michelle faced racism. Theres no other way to describe it. She wasnt engaging, which was the right thing to do. She would get up and really, really early in the morning and she would work out. And she uses that as a way to find the strength to take on lifes challenges. Thats who hes married to. What does that tell you . Did you even see that picture . I mean, what is that . You could not go to a reputable website, the washington post, the new york times, and look at the comments section and scroll down more than an inch and not see nword, nword, nword, monkey, monkey, monkey on any article about Michelle Obama. Obama is trying to tell us then she devolves into that weird fake accent. Were in this moment where a good portion of the American Public declares were in a postracial america. And then to be hit with wave after wave after wave of just viciousness. Im focused on whats in front of me. Weve got trash in the white house. She didnt blink. It is my responsibility to work with all americans. And i want to stay focused on the work rather than, you know other things. Other things. She tried to ignore most of it but you cant ignore all of it. I feel strongly about the fact that barack obama should provide the public with a birth certificate, and he should do it soon. Look, his birth certificate. The Birther Movement was an excellent example of where something was completely made up and then used to try to incite hate. Were going to send mr. Obama home to kenya or wherever it is. Were going to do it. Hes not even a citizen of the United States. And theyre hiding that. One in four believe president obama definitely or probably was not born in the United States. It was ludicrous. But at the same time, it was in keeping with something that was growing in the country. It was more than just finding a reason to disqualify Barack Hussein obama. It was about finding a reason to disqualify more than 10 of the american population. In her memoir, michelle describes these attacks as crazy and meanspirited, but also dangerous. I have to say that every single day, it was in the back of my mind that it just takes one crazy person. She adds, what if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to washington . What if that person went looking for our girls . This was something that michelle lived with in a really intense way. Donald trump, michelle continues, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my familys safety at risk. And for this, i could never forgive him. She understood the consequences could be fatal for her husband, her children, for herself. My husband and i have never eaten healthier. Shingles doesnt care. I logged 10,000 steps today. Shingles doesnt care. I get as much fresh air as possible. Good for you, but shingles doesnt care. Because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. 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At ts best plan includes hbo max so you can stream wonder woman 1984 the exact same day it premieres in theaters, at no extra cost. Wthe Natural Light is amazing. Hardwood floors. There is a bit of a clogging problem. clog dancing at least geico makes it easy to bundle our renters and car insurance. Yeah, helping us save us even more. For bundling made easy, go to geico. Com now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it. Hey google, tell roomba to vacuum the kitchen counter. And offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. Roomba and the irobot home app. Only from irobot. One night in the first term michelle has a dream. A man leads her family to the south lawn to see some animals he has gathered for them to admire. Michelle is apprehensive. Michelle lives day and night knowing that her family is a target for violence. Secret service, 1600 pennsylvania avenue. I need to report shots fired on 17th and constitution northwest. I think we were coming back from a trip to hawaii. Somebody had shot a rifle from constitution avenue into one of the windows in what is known as the yellow oval. Seven bullets hit the white house, one smashing a window by the living room. Sasha and michelles mother are inside. Our units were in foot pursuit of an individual that fled from the vehicle. A black honda, ak47 found in the vehicle. The shooter proclaimed that president obama had to be stopped. Her thought was they could have been out on the truman balcony. Her children played all over. She had been assured it was safe out there. That wasnt the only incident but she put her head down and trusted the men and women of the secret service to protect her children because she was not going to let undisciplined people tell her how to lead her life ever. She was the first lady of the United States. She was the first lady to all people of the United States, whether they liked her or not. I now have the privilege of introducing the star of the show, Michelle Obama. Michelle writes in her memoir, i understood that it was better for all of us not to acknowledge the hate or dwell on the risk. She threw open the doors at the white house as a place where americans were allowed to see themselves. Tonights event is really just another way for us to open up the white house and once again make it the peoples house. The idea of the peoples house was not new. Andrew jackson talked about the white house as the peoples house. But after 9 11, the white house became a fortress. Have fun, be loose. Michelle obama calling the white house the peoples house was one element of a much larger effort to move us forward. Mrs. Obama said we want to make sure that people who have perhaps previously never been to the white house have an opportunity to do so in a meaningful way. Just get comfortable here. Get comfortable with a little greatness. Wanted to bring in diverse bodies and people and genders. Everybody, we said come on in. If you think this day was special and it is because we think you all are special. Whether it is kids that got in trouble before or college dropouts. Today i want all of you to know you belong right here in the white house. Thats a gamechanger because they could then see themselves there in the future. Remember this moment and remember the first lady of the United States told you you can do anything you want to. [ applause ] the 2012 election is only a year away, and the president s Approval Rating is worryingly low. But the first ladys popularity is soaring. People responded to her. She became far more popular than the president himself. So i get to speak first while he stands and watches. I love this. Look at me adoringly. One of the useful roles she played in the white house was to keep him grounded. She was part of a very contemporary marriage. Not a marriage that served one mans ego the way so many other white house marriages have. Heading towards the election, americans are worried about the economy and unemployment and frustrated by gridlock in washington. Reelections are the president s to lose. There is a power that comes from incumbency that is hard to defeat in american history. That was not how people look at Barack Obamas chances in 2012. He genuinely viewed her as a friend that had his interest at heart and deep, deep insights. Thank you so much. Thank you. Michelle was the president s lifeline to humanity. So many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean. She had an innate commonsensical quality that helped ground these kind of lofty discussions. Being president doesnt change who you are. No, it reveals who you are. And that was enormously valuable. Let me tell you today i love my husband even more than i did four years ago, even more than i did 23 years ago when we first met. Barack obama comes from behind in the polls to secure a definitive victory and a second term as president. We often said that the first election was aspirational. The second one was affirmati affirmational. Watching the thousands of performers on inauguration day, michelle doesnt know that one of them, a high school majorette from chicago, will drastically impact what she fights for in her second term. Michelle obama is returning to attend the funeral of a 15yearold, a bystander shot dead in a chicago park a week after performing at the president s inauguration. The 42nd person killed this month in the president s hometown. I ran Chicago Public schools for seven and a half years. On average we had a child killed every two and a half weeks due to gun violence. No mother, no father should ever have to experience this. Hadiya was a straighta student, and she was a casualty of a stray bullet walking home from school. And mrs. Obama knows there by the grace of god go i. It could have been her at any time as a little girl on the southside of chicago. It affected her deeply. We thank you and the other officials that have come to comfort. A shooting on the streets of chicago rarely Sparks National outrage but a mass shooting in an Elementary School does. The senate votes on two gun control bills brought about by the massacre at the sandy hook Elementary School. 90 of the public backed the measures. Both bills are defeated. It begs the question who are we here to represent . So all in all, this was a pretty shameful day for washington. With the president s legislative efforts blocked, michelle is tackling gun violence the way she knows best. We read that story day after day, month after month, year after year in this city and around this country. While her husband was fighting his own battle about gun rights and trying to reduce the number of guns that fall into american hands, she used her own platform. Im not talking about something thats happening in a war zone halfway around the world. I am talking about whats happening in the city that we call home. And to use her voice in a way that would lift those young people up. And let me tell you, it is hard to know what to say to a roomful of teenagers who are about to bury their best friend. Michelle understood at a very visceral, very personal level how horrific the violence was. She couldnt solve gun violence by herself, but she had to 2rtr and create some inspiration. What it takes to build strong, successful young people isnt genetics or pedigree or good luck. Its opportunity. laughter now you can trade stocks and etfs. Introducing. Stocks by the slice from fidelity for any amount you choose. Instead of buying by the share. And fidelity allows you to trade fractional shares of stocks and etfs for as little as one dollar. Thats more choice and more flexibility than youll find at schwab all with no commissions, no account fees and no minimums. Stocks by the slice from fidelity. Get your slice today. Oh, i love you guys. Michelle has been spending time with young people traumatized by gun violence, and they provide the motivation for her next initiative. Every scar that you have is a reminder not that just you got hurt, but that you survived. It is about creating a sense of opportunity when that opportunity is unseen. Instead of letting the feelings defeat you, let it motivate you. She could have gone eight years and never talked about education. But there was probably no better spokesman on the planet literally than her for this issue. It was like a match made in heaven. I never thought i would be at the white house trying to get approved a script for the first lady to do a rap video with someone from saturday night live. People were a little worried. Are we going to make mrs. Obama look foolish . Are people going to say that thats not what a first lady should be doing . Southside chicago, we all know. We get the edit back, and people in the office were like, i dont know. Is this going to be okay . I knew something was going right when it was trending in italian. Michelles campaign is aimed at kids who might think that college is out of reach. Tell us where youre going next with the hashtag reachhigher. While the administration offers grants, loans, and tax credits education is the economic issue of our time. Michelles aproiproach is more personal. I want you all to succeed, and i want you to understand how do people like me going from being kids like you to standing here as first lady of the United States. Mrs. Obama feels that sense of luck and that since of privilege. If i can do it, you can do it. And thats why she spent her life and career trying to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities that shes had. She was visceral and emotional, and it stems from her own life experience. I set my sights high. I decided i was going to princeton. She was that Public School kid who had a College Counselor who said, youre not good enough to get into princeton. They told me i was never going to get into a school like princeton. And i still hear that doubt ringing in my head. So if there is anybody telling you that youre not college material, i want you to brush them off. Prove them wrong. This was not just some issue that was important to her. This was her life story. This defined her. This was who she was. I remember it like it was yesterday, and feeling like what am i doing here. In her memoir, michelle recalls arriving at princeton from the south side and feeling, quote, like a poppy seed in a bowl of rice. Id never stood out in a crowd or a classroom because of the color of my skin. Princeton in 1981 was very white. It was also, until recently, entirely male. Princeton was a wonderful but not always welcoming environment where she was viewed as someone who was probably there because of affirmative action and was seen through somewhat suspicious eyes. When it came time for michelle to write her senior thesis in sociology, she said princeton made her more aware of her blackness than anything else in her life and that at times, she felt other students saw her as a black person first and a student second. Her thesis was very obvious about the ways that racial exclusion shapes educational experience. But during the 2008 campaign, it was used to fuel a narrative that Michelle Obama is racist, that shes antiwhite, that shes essentially angry. It was impenetrable. It was gibberish. Resentful, and id have to add slightly sinister. Qualities that i think in a white potential first lady would have been celebrated. A deep curiosity, an ivy league education. All of these qualities were degraded. Michelles response to these attacks is mirrored in the message she shares with the students. Work harder. Reach higher. But some young africanamericans are being attacked by more than words. We begin tonight with the latest in the Trayvon Martin case. The investigation into the Deadly Police shooting. Michael brown. Eric garners death at the hands of a new york police officer. A cop did wrong. His last words, i cant breathe. I cant breathe. What do we want . Justice the road ahead is not going to be easy. It never is, especially for folks like you and me. Michelle doubles down on her message of hope. After the 2012 election, the kind of caution that really defined the obamas during the first administration, some of that goes by the wayside. No matter how far you rise in life, how hard you work to be a good person, a good parent, a good citizen, for some folks, it will never be enough. And we see a Michelle Obama that is less coy about race. It can make you feel like your life somehow doesnt matter. And those feelings are playing out in communities like baltimore and ferguson and so many others across this country. You can say, it would have been a massive opportunity to really Say Something transformative. But at the same time, shes still operating within the boundaries of the white house. Black lives matter black lives matter shes quite clear about the role of poverty and sexism and racism, but she also is not going to let anybody off the hook. Shes going to tell you, look, it sucks. Its bad. But you are born for more than that. Today i want to be very clear that those feelings are not an excuse to just throw up our hands and give up, not an excuse. They are not an excuse to lose hope. One month later, the spirit of yes, we can, that has taken the obamas so far will be brutally challenged. Youre all, youre all i need youre all, youre all i need as long as i got you then baby you know that youve got me, oh yea. In a whole new way. Now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it, and offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. Roomba and the irobot home app. Only from irobot. Its shiori. What . Shi or i adam, emily and then. Suh um. Its shiori. Shori. Thank you, thats great. Shiori in japanese there you go. Yeah. in japanese wow, it looks beautiful in japanese really . i really like it. This ones for you. You inspired us to make your humira experience even better. With humira citratefree. It has the same effectiveness you know and trust, but we removed the citrate buffers, theres less liquid, and a thinner needle. With less pain immediately following injection. Ask your doctor about humira citratefree. 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It is unfathomable that somebody in Todays Society would walk into a church when people are having a prayer meeting and take their lives. The shorter reportedly accused the allblack congregation of taking over the country. Nine people are killed. For too long weve been blind to the way past injustices continue to shape the present. Perhaps this tragedy causes us to ask some tough questions. What does it mean to be proud to be the first africanamerican inhabitants of the white house and know that its linked to movements, its linked to individuals who see that as an affront to things that are rightfully theirs . Their progress riled up some of the worst forces in our world. It really does create, i think, this deep existential sense of our presence may lead to the absence of others. The way to defeat hope is to make people angry and resentful. Were going to make you angry that these people are in the white house, and were going to make you certain that every problem you face, every misfortune is the fault of people like that. Hatred is really just fear on a different octave. And so at the end of her term, she was using her voice to speak to the hatred and to speak to the fear that people had. Here in america, we dont give in to our fears. We dont build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country and made it their home. There was an expectation that they in particular would lead a conversation about race. That is the american story. There are people who felt that they just didnt do it enough. Its the story that i witness every single day when i wake up in a house that was built by slaves, and i watch my daughters, two beautiful black young women, waving goodbye to their father, the president of the United States. They kind of talked about it all the time in subtle ways and often in ways that just kind of went right over peoples heads. You are living, breathing, proof, that the American Dream endures, in our time. Its you. You mightve heard that someone jumped the white house fence, last week. But, i have to give secret service credit. They found michelle, brought her back. Shes safe back at home, now. Only nine more months, baby. Settle down. The obamas time in the white house is coming to a close. Last question. Make it a good one. Michelle makes no secret of her relief. What are you going to do when youre done being the first lady . I dont know. Going to work in my house. Her kids were growing up. In her opinion, it was time to go. Its hard to believe that it has been eight years. Michelles final convention appearance, she delivers a rebuke to candidate, Donald Trumps attacks on her family. Sharing the mantra they used for years in the white house. I told you about our daughters, how we urge them to ignore those who question their fathers citizenship or faith. How, we explain that, when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you dont stoop to their level. No. Our motto is when they go low, we go high. For two terms, for eight years, she had been criticized for tiny, little things. Both of them bent over, backwards, to respect president ial norms. And yet, in the 2016 campaign, they see someone who doesnt care about these. One month before the election, an old video surfaces. When youre a star, they let you do. You can do anything. She felt that she had to Say Something. Knowing that people looked to her for inspiration. And i cant believe that im saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. She shook off her supreme caution that she had exercised for eight years. Too many are treating this as just another days headline. She became a great, first lady, because she spoke for so many. As if our outrage is overblown or un unwarranted. As if this is normal, just politics, as usual. And i think she reached eleanorroosevelt territory. New hampshire, be clear, this is not normal. This is not politics, as usual. That came from me. Really. My first idea was in one quarter of an hour, your savings will tower. Over you. Figuratively speaking. But thats not catchy, is it . Thats not going to swim about in your brain. So i thought, what about. 15 minutes. 15 percent. Serendipity. 15 minutes could save you 15 or more on car insurance. Sofor each Family Member with ththe features they want, serendipity. Like hbo max. What was that . 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And dont forget to catch the croods, a new age now in theaters. Rated pg. Michelle spends Election Night watching a movie. As the messages start coming in, she heads off to bed. Cnn projects donald trump wins the presidency. The day after election day was extremely difficult. And i think, none of us wanted to go to work but we all picked ourselves up, and we came into the office. And mrs. Obama emailed the chiefofstaff and i, at the time, and said id like to talk to the staff. The first lady brought us all together, and she said i want to hear from you all. How do you feel . People were afraid that a lot of the work that we had poured our hearts and souls into would be unwound. She assured us that what we did was remarkable, and to go on and continue that. This house was just the beginning, for some of us, but its not the end. The trumps came to the white house, the next day. It was the same day that we had lebron james and the Cleveland Cavaliers coming, too. So, we didnt have much time to think, until it was done. We celebrated, those last few months of the white house, we accomplished more than we ever couldve imagined, with a spotlight on us, that no other administration ever had. Maybe, you still cant believe we pulled this whole thing off. Let me tell you, youre not the only ones. Michelle. [ cheers and applause ] you took on a role, you didnt ask for, with grace and with grit and with style and good humor. You made the white house a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. She was exhausted. We were all exhausted. I mean, the dogs were probably exhausted. Its like youre running a marathon, for eight years. And then, all of a sudden, it stops. On january 20th, 2017, Michelle Obama walks out of the white house, for the last time. One of the things that struck me, knowing her as i do, was how chilly michelle was toward the new president. And she sent a very strong message, i thought, through her body language. On inauguration day, 2017, we see a Michelle Obama, who has slicked back her hair, and shows none of the usual care that we see, in moments of political import. Its such a clear moment. Its such a clear moment that she is over it and done. Michelle stays out of the limelight, for a time. And then, bursts back onto the scene. More than any other first lady, Michelle Obama has become a symbol of hope and possibility, for millions, across the United States and beyond. She redefined the role of first lady, on her own terms. Her background is something that she celebrates, as much as her accomplishments