During his keynote speech on the second night of the DNC, Barack Obama took aim at Trump’s fixation on crowd sizes, making a viral hand gesture that seemed to mock the Republican nominee.Michelle Obama also weighed in, turning one of Trump’s controversial campaign lines into a critique of “Black Jobs.”
Trump expressed his frustration to the crowd: “Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle,” Trump said.
“He was very nasty last night. I try and be nice to people, you know? But it’s a little tough when they get personal…’, he further said. “They always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy, don’t get personal,’ but they’re getting personal all night, these people.”
Later in the rally, Trump polled the crowd on whether he should take a personal approach in his response. The crowd cheered loudly for the personal option. “Should I get personal, or should I not get personal?” Trump asked, with the former winning by cheer volume.
“We’d rather keep it on policy, but sometimes it’s hard when you’re attacked from all ends,” Trump said. He’s repeatedly said he’s been asked by allies to tamp down the attacks, and instead focus on the economy, where polls show he’s more trusted than Harris.
Trump’s rebuttal followed Barack Obama’s and Michelle Obama’s DNC speeches, which marked a departure from their 2016 call for higher standards in political discourse. Their remarks animated the convention with a scathing critique of Trump.
This latest exchange adds to the ongoing tension between Trump and the Obamas. Trump has previously promoted the birther conspiracy questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship and has made disparaging remarks about Kamala Harris’s background.
Despite advice from allies to focus on policy rather than personal attacks, Trump challenged this guidance. “Do I still have to stick to policy?” he questioned, as his supporters cheered his defiant stance.
In his DNC address, Barack Obama had labeled Trump a “78-year-old rich guy” and criticized him for a “constant stream of gripes and grievances.” Obama highlighted Trump’s “childish nicknames, crazy conspiracy theories, and bizarre fixation on crowd sizes” as part of a broader pattern of behavior.
Michelle Obama also took aim at Trump’s approach: “Going small is petty, it’s unhealthy, and, quite frankly, it’s unpresidential,” she said. “It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”