Michelle Obama gave a rousing speech in support of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday in New Hampshire, ABC News reports.
FLOTUS again declined to name Donald Trump as she tore into his offensive language against women and allegations of sexual assault after a tape of him speaking to Billy Bush leaked late last week.
“I’m going to get a little serious here, because I think we can all agree that this has been a rough week in an already rough election,” FLOTUS quipped.
In an emotional address, Obama said she was conflicted by the events of the week, concluding her campaign of “Let Girls Learn,” juxtaposed with the sexually aggressive comments and assault allegations made by and against Trump.
“I can’t believe that I am saying that a candidate for the President of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women,” Obama said. “I can’t stop thinking about this. It has shaken me to my core in a way I couldn’t have predicted.”
FLOTUS dismissed the excuse of “locker room” banter, saying that the leaked 2005 tape was not an isolated incident. She recalled numerous encounters women continually face–the violation of their bodies in an effort to take away their power.
“Too many are treating this as just another day’s headline, as if our outrage is overblown or unwarranted. As if this is normal–politics as usual. This is not normal, this is not politics as usual,” Obama said. “This is disgraceful, it is intolerable.”
Obama called on leaders of both political parties to denounce Trump’s comments and attacks on women.
“This isn’t about politics, it’s about basic human decency,” Obama said. “I can tell you that the men in my life do not talk about women like this and I know that my family is not unusual. And to dismiss this as everyday locker room talk is an insult to decent men everywhere. The men that you and I know, don’t treat women this way.”
