Michelle Obama Says Black Americans Not Voting In 2016 Was A ‘Slap In The Face’
In a clip from Michelle Obama‘s highly-anticipated Netflix documentary, Becoming, the former first lady speaks of Hillary Clinton‘s loss to Donald Trump in 2016 and her reaction, The New York Post reported.
“You know, the day I left the White House, it was painful to sit on that stage, and then a lot of our folks didn’t vote — it was almost a slap in the face,” Michelle said in a clip of her speaking to African American schoolchildren.
Michelle expressed sympathy with people who voted for Trump but disappointment in those who didn’t show up at the ballot box.
As reported by CNN, Michelle’s husband and former U.S. president, Barack Obama, made the push for Clinton in 2016 and suggested that he would consider it a “personal insult” to his legacy if black voters don’t vote for the former secretary of state over Trump. Before Barack’s call to action, Clinton praised him and Michelle and said they represented the U.S. with “class, grace and integrity.”
According to Jacobin, Barack’s presidency was a “disaster” for the wealth of middle-class Americans, and, in particular, African Americans. Although black wealth reportedly returned to its 2007 level by the year 2016, the publication claims that black home equity was still reduced by $16,700. Per Jacobin, the majority of this decline can be tied to Barack and his refusal to use his power to “ameliorate the foreclosure crisis.”
“He chose not to use it,” Matt Bruenig and Ryan Cooper wrote in the piece.
According to the pair, Barack’s decision to bail out Wall Street after the 2008 crisis “directly concentrated” U.S. wealth into the hands of “rich white families.”
Why didn't Obama save homes of victims of predatory lending, a disproportionate # Black resulting in greatest lost of Black wealth since the end of reconstruction? But he bailed out the banks! This conversation about white supremacy/power is not serious reduced to a Trump.
— Ajamu Baraka (@ajamubaraka) August 7, 2019
Regardless, Michelle explores her disappointment in her husband’s supporters not just in 2016 but throughout his presidency.
“It wasn’t just in this election, but every midterm, every time Barack didn’t get the Congress he needed, that was because our folks didn’t show up. After all that work, they just couldn’t be bothered to vote at all. That’s my trauma.”
As The Inquisitr reported, CNN political commentator Van Jones previously claimed that courting black voters is part of Trump’s strategy to win in 2020. According to Jones, Trump is focusing on appeasing the African American community while trading off support from the Latino community as he continues to push a hardline approach to Latin American immigrants and refugees.
Jones claimed that Trump’s appeal to African Americans — which includes criminal justice reform, school choice, and funds for struggling black colleges and universities — could be useful in gaining the community’s support for November.
