Former first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday said she understood those who were “turned off” by President Trump’s behavior during Tuesday's first presidential debate.
“I feel you. Believe me, I do,” Obama told her 42 million Instagram followers and 17 million Twitter followers one day after Trump debated Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Cleveland. “But we can’t let him win by tuning out altogether. That’s what he wants.”
She said Americans need to turn their disgust into votes for Biden – and make sure everyone they know has a plan to vote.
“It’s the only way we can get out of this chaos and restore some stability to this country,” she said.
Critics described Tuesday night’s debate as undignified and out of control as both Trump and Biden called each other names and Biden told Trump to "Shut up, man" as Trump continuously interrupted him. Even Fox News moderator Chris Wallace seemed like he was debating the candidates at certain points.
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE GETS PERSONAL AS BIDEN CALLS TRUMP A 'CLOWN,' TRUMP TELLS BIDEN HE'S NOT 'SMART'
Both Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, have played a large -- if mostly virtual -- role in Biden’s candidacy as some Democrats feel nostalgic for his eight years in office. The Obamas also say they consider the vice president a personal friend -- even though the former president has reportedly had doubts about his former vice president's ability to win the White House.
"Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f--- things up," Obama reportedly once said about Biden, Politico reported in August.
In addition, political observers have noted that Obama didn't endorse Biden's candidacy until April, after months of sitting on the sidelines during the primary season.
But in her Wednesday remarks, Michelle Obama sounded as if she were giving Biden her full support.
“In this election, we’ve got to vote for Joe in numbers that cannot be denied,” she said in reference to Trump’s speculation that he may contest the election results if he appears to have lost, with potential legal challenges that could involve a conservative-leaning Supreme Court.
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Her plea was reminiscent of her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, in which she told viewers, “We have to vote for Joe Biden in numbers that cannot be ignored. Because right now, folks who know they cannot win fair and square at the ballot box are doing everything they can to stop us from voting.”
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