October was not a great month for Donald J. Trump. Following the release of an Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about harassing and sexually assaulting women, Trump’s poll numbers took a massive hit. He had already fallen behind after the first debate and the 3am tweets that followed, and this tape only worsened the damage.
Many Republicans unendorsed him and even those who wouldn’t go that far, such as Paul Ryan, severely denounced Trump’s behavior in the tape. Democrats also attacked Trump and used the video as a rallying cry against him. Hillary Clinton and her campaign pointed to the language as just another reason he is, in their opinion, unfit for the presidency. Her supporters and surrogates also responded by making a case for Clinton’s presidency by concentrating on Trump’s consistently negative treatment of women.
While at a Clinton-Kaine rally in New Hampshire, Michelle Obama delivered one of the most powerful speeches of the 2016 campaign season. Addressing Trump’s claims and general rhetoric in regards to women, Obama stated that the remarks had “shaken [her] to her core.” Without even mentioning his name, she captured the effect the tape had on men and women, children and adults, and America as a whole.
Obama started her speech by passionately stating that she wanted young girls to know that “the measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls.” Met by thunderous applause from the audience, her remarks emphasized the overall importance of women’s rights. This campaign season, with the first female presidential candidate of a major party, there has been a large focus on gender equality. However, Trump’s attempt to gloss over the severity of his words made it clear that gender equality is not something he spends much time thinking about.
The response to both the original tape and Obama’s speech led to a lot of discussion within the Fieldston Community. Teachers and students alike were angered by his comments and overall behavior, but most thought that it was in line with the rest of Trump’s campaign. However, they also thought that Obama’s speech was a great response and that she put into words what many have been thinking. Many were also impressed by her ability to respond powerfully and effectively without sinking to his level.
In an election season characterized by insults and hate, Obama rose above the hostility while still highlighting how unacceptable she found Trump and his candidacy. “So many have worked for so many years against this kind of violence and abuse and disrespect. But here we are in 2016 we’re hearing these exact same things every single day on the campaign trail,” she said. Instead of trying to get votes by creating fear, she displayed her vulnerability in order to motivate Americans to look past the surface of Trump’s “locker room talk,” and understand the danger of his potential presidency.
Obama made it clear that as a country we simply cannot treat this kind of behavior as acceptable because, “this is not normal. This is not politics as usual.” In her speech, Obama stepped away from the traditional ‘gray areas’ of politics and forcefully declared that “this isn’t about politics. It’s about basic human decency. It’s about right and wrong.”
