Hillary Clinton took a back seat Thursday at her own campaign rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., as First Lady Michelle Obama wowed an eager and appreciative audience with a speech highlighting the issues “at stake” in the 2016 election.
“[Hillary Clinton] is absolutely ready to be commander in chief on day one, and yes, she happens to be a woman,” the first lady said to wild cheers and applause.
Obama continued, adding, “We want a president who takes this jobs seriously, and has the temperament and maturity to do it well. Someone who is steady. Someone who we can trust with nuclear codes.”
Campaign surrogates usually introduce the presidential candidate, not the other way around. On Thursday, however, Clinton flipped the script by playing the role of emcee while the first lady acted as the headliner.
“It doesn’t get any better than being here with our most amazing first lady,” Clinton said in a speech that gushed with praise for Michelle Obama. “She has spent eight years as our first lady advocating for girls around the world to go to school and have the same opportunities as boys.”
“We actually are seeing kids who are healthier, something that she was determined to try to achieve,” the Democratic presidential candidate said. “She has encouraged more young people to go to college and follow your dreams, and she has supported America’s military families who serve and sacrifice as well for our country.”
Clinton added, “Seriously, is there anyone more inspiring than Michelle Obama?”
The reason for the role reversal Thursday could be as simple as the fact that the first lady is enormously popular, especially with Democratic voters, while Clinton herself continues to struggle in that department.
Michelle Obama enjoys a 64 percent approval rating, with a 32 percent disapproving, according to recent Gallup polling data. Obama polls higher than Trump’s wife, Melania, and higher than even former President Bill Clinton.
The Democratic nominee’s approval rating, on the other hand, hovers at around 41 percent, while 56 percent they disapprove, according to a separate Washington Post-ABC News survey.
Clinton’s team is well aware that the first lady is popular with voters, and they’ve made it no secret they intend to cash in on her broad appeal.
“She has exceeded our expectations in terms of how many events she has been able to do, willing to do. Her team keeps surprising us with additional availability and we can’t, from our vantage point, we can’t get her out there enough. She’s been an absolute rock star,” Clinton campaign press secretary Brian Fallon told reporters this week.
