Trump's Comments About Michelle Obama Accidentally Betray How Much He Fears Her

The day before the 2024 election, Donald Trump has tipped his hand as to how he feels about Michelle Obama, and it seems that the former president is concerned that what she's saying about him might be resonating with voters and inspiring them to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. At a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Trump said (via Forbes Breaking News): "Michelle hit me. I was so nice to her out of respect; I was so nice. She hit me the other day. I was going to say to my people, 'Am I allowed to hit her now?'" It seems as though Trump's team knows that coming after Michelle would be a turn off for undecided voters, and they don't want him attacking her.

Obama's popularity could be seen as a clear threat to Trump's ability to get elected. According to YouGov, Michelle is even more popular than her husband, Barack Obama and they're both more popular than Trump. The former first lady has made it clear that she doesn't like or respect Trump and has been campaigning for Harris. In August, Michelle ditched the high ground at the Democratic National Convention with a scathing Trump takedown, and a few months later she came after him again at a speech in Michigan where she questioned his mental capacity and fitness to be president.

We're not sure exactly which of Michelle Obama's comments got under Donald Trump's skin, but it isn't the first time that Trump has shown that he can't get Michelle's takedown out of his head. And people on social media have noticed. One person noted on X (formerly known as Twitter), "Out of all the women that have spoken out against him it's Michelle Obama that shakes him to his core." One person seemed to sum up what many of Trump's critics seem to think about continuing to bring up Michelle: "Good grief. How many days now has it been that Trump has been whining every chance he gets about how Michelle Obama hurt his fragile feelings? Does he ever listen to the vile schoolyard taunts he hurls at other people? He's 78. It's time he grew up," via X.

Others were more concerned with his use of the word "hit" as he was talking about Obama. While the context of what he said seems to make it clear that he means a verbal attack, some think that it's still particularly ominous. "His is the language of violence. It's not even a dog whistle, it's a bullhorn," one person posted.

Neither Michelle nor Barack Obama have yet said anything publicly about Trump's comments. However, Kamala Harris' campaign has posted them on X, so they clearly see his remarks about the former first lady as beneficial to their chances on election day.