Following Wednesday’s Capitol riots in Washington, Michelle Obama has said incumbent US President Donald Trump can’t handle failures.
The wife of former President Barack Obama also blasted the Republican one-term president, who lost to Democrat Joe Biden in the November 2020 elections, as “infantile and unpatriotic”.
In a statement on Thursday, the former First Lady urged Silicon Valley companies like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram who already banned Trump from using their platforms, to go further and ban all the leaders of nations who use the social media to fuel insurrection.
Michelle wrote, “Like all of you, I watched as a gang—organized, violent, and mad they’d lost an election—laid siege to the United States Capitol. They set up gallows. They proudly waved the traitorous flag of the Confederacy through the halls. They desecrated the center of American government.
“And once authorities finally gained control of the situation, these rioters and gang members were led out of the building not in handcuffs, but free to carry on with their days. The day was a fulfillment of the wishes of an infantile and unpatriotic president who can’t handle the truth of his own failures.
“It all left me with so many questions—questions about the future, questions about security, extremism, propaganda, and more.
“And for those who call others unpatriotic for simply taking a knee in silent protest, for those who wonder why we need to be reminded that Black Lives Matter at all, yesterday made it painfully clear that certain Americans are, in fact, allowed to denigrate the flag and symbols of our nation. They’ve just got to look the right way.”
Continuing, she added, “I hurt for our country. And I wish I had all the solutions to make things better…All I know is that now is a time for true patriotism. Now is the time for those who voted for this president to see the reality of what they’ve supported—and publicly and forcefully rebuke him and the actions of that mob.
“Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behavior—and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation’s leaders to fuel insurrection.”
The ex-FLOTUS, however, implored all Americans to give the incoming administration of President-Elect Joe Biden, and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris, who takes office on January 20, “the chance to lead us in a better direction”.
Political leaders across all continents have condemned Trump’s action, with many accusing him of dragging one of the world’s most respected and resilient democracy in the mud.
