CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel was astounded on Thursday after former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama called out President Donald Trump during their speeches at the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Both Obamas spoke at the opening event, which was attended by politicians like former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as thousands of people who supported the Obama campaigns. In her speech, Michelle Obama drew a sharp contrast between her husband and Trump, ending it with a wry smile that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Barack Obama followed up by declaring the central idea of America was that there would be "no kings," a not-so-subtle reference to Trump and the protests that have occurred during Trump's second term.
Gangel said she considered the Obamas' speeches to be a call to action for Americans.
"Let's just call it out. He never mentioned Donald Trump by name, but he didn't need to. The message was clear," she said. "President Obama talked about [how] you shouldn't be a bully. You shouldn't be divvying up spoils. And then he went on to talk about how he has faith in our country and that if you didn't, it would be a betrayal of our founding fathers. I'm paraphrasing here, 'As unsettled as we are, he doesn't believe that people are looking for anger.'"
"And then he went on ... it was really about passing the mantle," she added. "He said, 'This is not about nostalgia. It's not about Barack and Michelle doing something or that history is yet to be written by all of us,' which is really what this center is supposed to be: a call to action."
