"Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again, because this right now is the greatest country on earth," Michelle tells the crowd at the Democratic convention
Democrats divided over the future of their party agreed on at least one thing at their national convention in Philadelphia on Monday night: Michelle Obama was a star.
The first lady gave a speech in support of a former first lady, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, and described America as "the greatest country on earth", clashing with Republican Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan and bringing an arena crowd riven by a fierce fight for the nomination to its feet.
Obama's husband, President Barack Obama, for years has drawn praise for his oratorical skills. But Monday night belonged to her. "Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again, because this right now is the greatest country on earth," she said.
The speech triggered wild applause among delegates in the Wells Fargo Centre, where anger over Senator Bernie Sanders' loss in the primary elections against Clinton had taken the form of jeers during speeches earlier in the day. Some Sanders supporters had called out at some points early in Obama's speech, but were shushed.
Garry Mauro, head of the Clinton delegation for Texas, called Michelle Obama's speech "stunningly good." Several Twitter users said the speech brought them to tears, while others marvelled at its positive tone in an election year marked by blunt exchanges. "Mrs. Obama deconstructed Trump's entire campaign without using a single pejorative word," Twitter user @weddady said in a post after the speech. "Mrs Obama's speech also disassembled Trump's entire narrative without ever mentioning his name."
Michelle Obama became the top searched speaker of the night on Google. On Twitter, about 40 tweets mentioning the first lady were posted every second, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph.
The president lauded her performance.
His tweet became the most re-tweeted post of the night.
Michelle Obama, a lawyer who has advocated for military families and working women during her seven-and-a-half years as first lady, has earned a reputation for inspirational speeches. Just recently, during the Republican National Convention (RNC), Trump's wife Melania delivered a speech that appeared to borrow phrases from Michelle Obama's convention speech in 2008, drawing accusations of plagiarism. A Trump Organisation staff writer accepted responsibility for the similarities. "One can completely understand why people plagiarise Michelle Obama," actress Mia Farrow said in a Twitter post after the first lady's speech.
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