'Who’s going to tell him....': Michelle Obama targets Trump at DNC speech over 'Black jobs' remark

Michelle Obama was in her element as she targeted Donald Trump on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Tuesday (Aug 20). The former first lady called out Trump for his controversial statement about undocumented migrants taking "Black jobs".

“Who’s going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might be one of those Black jobs?” Michelle said, referencing Trump's remarks.

Michelle also criticised the Republican leader for his 'narrow' outlook that made him feel 'threatened' by the success of Black folks.

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” Michelle continued. “His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.”

.@MichelleObama: Who's going to tell Donald Trump that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs'? pic.twitter.com/i1S4RWF7TS — Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 21, 2024

Michelle closed her salvo by revisiting the popular 2016 catchphrase,“When they go low, we go high.”

“We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came here before us. Let us work like our lives depend on it," she added.

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What did Trump say?

During the first presidential debate against Joe Biden in June,Trump courted controversy by stating that immigrants were taking the jobs that usually employed'Blacks'.

"They're taking Black jobs now and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people," said Trump.

"His [Biden] big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They're taking Black jobs, and they're taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven't seen it yet, but you're going to see something that's going to be the worst in our history," he added.

While Trump claimed that migrants were usurping the jobs, data showed that the Black unemployment rate remains near a historic low in the US. The share of Black Americans with jobs stands at 59.1 per cent which is near the peak of 60.4 per cent set last year.

Between 2019 and 2023, the wages for Black workers rose 1.4 per cent, after adjusting for inflation, compared to a 0.9 per cent increase for Hispanics and a 0.5 per cent hike for White workers, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics.

(With inputs from agencies)