All posts tagged "michelle obama"

Why 'Kamala' and 'Harris' could become hot new baby names

Don't be shocked if you encounter a baby "Kamala" or little "Harris" next year.

Or two.

Or 200.

For Kamala Harris — who could become the first female president who's also Black and South Asian if she beats Donald Trump in November — the historical significance of her election is likely to manifest itself in maternity wards across the nation.

That's because spikes in baby name popularity among frequently correlate with the arrival of a new president and first lady, according to a Raw Story analysis of Social Security Administration birth name data going back 75 years.

With Harris having accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, here's what Raw Story found about the effect various White House occupants and their immediate family members have on American baby name trends:

Barack Obama

Through 2007, the name "Obama" as a first name did not appear in the Social Security Administration's baby name data at all. (The Social Security Administration does not provide data on baby names with fewer than five occurrences to "safeguard privacy.")

But in 2008, the year Democrat Barack Obama won the White House, 14 baby boys received the first name "Obama."

In 2009, 16 baby boys did, Social Security Administration data indicates.

Similarly, there were only five baby boys named "Barack" during 2007. By 2008, there were 52 baby boys named "Barack." In 2009: 71, putting it exactly on par with other somewhat uncommon, but not too uncommon boy names that year, including Caine, Demitri, Jadin, Pavel and Tracy.

The "Barack" mini-spike didn't last long, however, and by last year, only eight American-born baby Baracks came into the world.

Hillary Clinton

"Hillary" as a baby name has had a most turbulent history — not unlike one of the most notable Hillarys on Earth, Hillary Clinton.

A relatively uncommon name until the 1970s, "Hillary" the baby name peaked in wattage during 1992 — the same year Bill Clinton won the White House and Hillary Clinton became first lady-in-waiting — as the nation's 132nd most popular baby name that year with more than 2,500 little Hillarys.

But Americans soured on "Hillary" soon thereafter. By 1998, it had fallen out of the Top 800 in baby name popularity. By 2007, it sat in 961st place.

Then a funny thing happened: In 2008 — the same year Hillary Clinton first ran for president and delivered her notable "glass ceiling" concession speech — "Hillary" jumped 239 spots to 722nd place.

Never again after 2008 did "Hillary" find its way into the Top 1,000 baby names again, with year-over-year declines that have pushed it to the edge of baby name extinction. Just 71 baby Hillarys were born in 2023.

The only year since 2008 when the Hillary decline reversed? You guessed it: 2016, when Clinton again ran for the presidency, only to lose to Trump. That year, there were 172 baby Hillarys, up from 138 in 2015.

By 2017, there would only be 63, according to Social Security Administration data.

Donald Trump

From 1920 to 1960, the name "Donald" was a perennial Top 20 boys name. It remained in the Top 100 each year until 1990.

But its popularity rank declined or stayed the same every year after that — until 2017, the year Donald Trump became president of the United States.

It's wasn't much — "Donald" as a baby name ticked up from 489th place in 2016 to 486th place in 2017 — and the name continued to slip in popularity through 2020, when it languished in 609th place as Trump lost his reelection bid.

However, in 2021 — the year Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in his name and the U.S. Senate acquitted Trump in his second impeachment trial — "Donald" jumped back up to the 596th most popular name.

After declining again in 2022 (679th place), it staged another mild comeback and ended 2023 — the year Trump's latest presidential campaign hit stride — in 657th place.

Melania Trump

The first lady from 2017 to 2021, Melania Trump arguably affected baby name trends more than her husband.

Consider that in 2014, only 78 baby girls received the name "Melania."

Melania Trump holding baby Barron Trump Melania Trump holds baby Barron Trump in 2007. (Photo by Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)

But in 2015, the year Trump announced his first presidential bid, that number increased to 92. This kicked off a several-year run of modest popularity for "Melania" that peaked the year Trump took office: 2016 (131 Melanias), 2017 (283), 2018 (233), 2019 (210), 2020 (182) and 2021 (154).

Since Trump left the White House in 2021, the popularity of "Melania" has continued to wane, with only 113 baby Melanias in 2023 — the fewest since 2015.

Ivanka Trump

Donald Trump's elder daughter has a similar baby name story — there were only 42 newborn Ivankas in 2014 and 37 in 2015.

But by 2016, there were 113. In 2017, when Donald Trump became president and Ivanka Trump became one of his White House advisers, there were 165 baby Ivankas.

Since then, "Ivanka" as a baby name has only again cracked triple digits once — in 2020 — and has faded to 52 instances by 2023, according to Social Security Administration data.

Joe Biden

"Joseph" has been one of the most common names in the United States for much of the nation's history, never once outside the Top 30 in any year dating to the 19th century. Therefore, a president with that name isn't likely to move the baby name popularity needle too much.

In fact, Social Security Administration data indicates that the baby name "Joseph" hit a modern popularity low — relatively speaking — during Joe Biden's first three years in office, where it finished in 28th place in 2021, 30th place in 2022 and 29th place in 2023.

"Joe" as a given baby name also declined to its lowest recorded modern level, as well — 908th place in 2023, after ranking within the Top 100 as recently as 1970, just before Biden became a U.S. senator from Delaware.

One consolation prize for the current president: Social Security Administration data had never publicly recorded "Biden" being used as a given name — until 2021, when 11 baby boys received the name "Biden" in the year Joe Biden became president.

The baby name party wouldn't last, though, as no little boys named "Biden" appear in the data for 2022 or 2023.

Other notable trends

The popularity of the baby name "Dwight" had twin peaks — one in 1945 (126th place) as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower heralded victory in World War II, and another in 1952 and 1953 (123rd place and 122nd place, respectively) during the early years of Eisenhower's presidential administration. In no other years has the name been so popular.
The baby name "Jacqueline" never entered the Top 50 most popular until 1961, the year John F. Kennedy became president and Jacqueline Kennedy became first lady. That year, the name's popularity peaked in 37th place, a spot it tied in 1964, the year after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. By 2004, it exited the Top 100, and in 2023, it had dropped to a 110-year low of 539th place.
"Michelle" as a baby name has been on a slow, five-decade-long march downward after peaking in 1972 in 2nd place. Two years of popularity stability came in 2008 (101st place) and 2009 (104th place), when Michelle Obama sprung onto the national scene. Since then, "Michelle" has slid unabated to a 80-year low in 2023 of 401th place, ranking it alongside the likes of girl baby names "Xiomara," "Helen," "Maryam" and "Frances."

What about Harris?

Few American babies have ever been named "Kamala" — from a Sanskrit word meaning "lotus."

But there were 25 U.S. babies named "Kamala" in 2021, the year Harris took office as vice president. That's the most American baby Kamalas since the late 1970s, according to Social Security Administration data.

Lots of people, including Donald Trump, continue to pronounce Harris' first name incorrectly — it's pronounced "COMMA-la," not "kuh-MA-LA" or "kah-MAL-uh. Democrats turned this into a Trump-tweaking comedy bit at the Democratic National Convention, with Harris' two young grandnieces joining actress Kerry Washington for a pronunciation session with audience participation.

"Harris" as a first name for boys enjoyed some measure of popularity during the first half of the 20th century. It then fell out of favor and crashed out of the Top 1,000 most popular boy baby names for the first time last century in 1969.

After some fits and starts in and out of the Top 1,000 during the 1970s and 1980s, "Harris" was gone for good after that, save for two years — 2016, when voters elected Kamala Harris to the U.S. Senate, and 2020, when voters elected her vice president.

Taylor A. Humphrey, a professional baby name consultant who runs What's in a Baby Name — yes, such services exist — is skeptical that "Kamala" will see a massive spike in popularity if Kamala Harris wins the presidency, despite the historic nature of such a victory.

She likened "Kamala" to other mononyms such as "Oprah," "Beyoncé" and "Madonna," none of which have ever rivaled the popularity of, say, the Jessica/Ashley/Jennifer set of the 1980s, or the Emma/Olivia/Sophia lot of the 2010s.

ALSO READ: 21 worthless knick-knacks Donald Trump will give you for your cash

Humphrey noted that immediately before the Oprah Winfrey Show began, fewer than five girls were given the name in the United States. A year after the show first aired, in 1987, 37 girls were given the name Oprah — exponentially more, but still just a tiny fraction of the roughly 1.8 million girls born that year.

"These names are iconic, and thus, often feel too evocative of one person's singular greatness," Humphrey said. "It can be difficult for parents to see how their own children will grow into these names when they're so powerfully aligned with one person.

Humphrey is more bullish on "Harris," noting that there's a long-term trend toward parents using the surnames of presidents as first names.

She points to girl names such as "Taylor," "Madison," "Reagan," "Kennedy" and "Monroe," and boys names such as "Lincoln," "Jackson," "Ford," "Grant," "Carter," "Harrison" and "Tyler."

Even "Nixon" began a run in the Top 1,000 starting in 2011, and it hasn't left yet.

"Presidential surnames exude elegance, gravitas, and prestige," Humphrey said.

One name for which she's rooting to enter the Top 1,000 some day: "Robinette" Biden's "unique, nature-inspired" middle name, which is also his paternal grandmother's maiden name.

In 2023, Robinette did not register a blip in Social Security Administration data, meaning that "Kamala" or "Harris" may still have a better shot at baby name ascendance — at least for now.

This article was originally published on Aug. 14, 2024, and updated to include new developments.

'Very powerful' Michelle Obama's return is major threat to Trump: analyst

During an appearance on MSNBC on Wednesday morning, NBC national political analyst John Heilemann singled out former First Lady Michelle Obama's star return at the Democratic National Convention and explained to the hosts of "Morning Joe" why her reappearance on the national scene is yet another blow to Donald Trump.

With the former president's re-election bid reeling from the ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential nominee, Heilemann stated that Michelle Obama's nationally televised DNC speech was yet another set-back for Team Trump.

"I think Michelle Obama — as a piece of political communication, I can't think that I've seen anyone do it better than I saw her do it last night," he began. "And she's in the upper echelon of any convention speech ever been given. I think it's important that this the notion of the reluctant warrior, her credibility, people say she is one of the most popular political figures in the Democratic Party or political figures in the country."

ALSO READ: ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer hired by Trump campaign for Election 2024 endgame

"Her power comes from she is not a political figure; she is beyond politics," he elaborated. "Her credibility comes from the fact that people rightly, correctly believe that she takes the stage reluctantly because she doesn't see politics as a game, as something she wants to take partake in. She only comes out that she thinks the stakes are so high."

"And the fact that she speaks, Michelle Robinson from working-class Chicago speaks in a vernacular that is different than her husband's and different from anybody else," he continued. "The directness of her message to a lot of people in the Democratic coalition which was there is no time for fooling around here, none of this Goldilocks stuff where we have to have the perfect candidate. Don't get precious about whether anybody has asked you enough times to go out and do what you have to do here. I'm telling you that the stakes are really high. I need, you need, to work now. stop screwing around."

"Her directness, very powerful, I thought," he concluded.

Watch below or click here.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé singing at Democratic National Convention? Delegates are dreaming

CHICAGO — Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention might have looked a bit like a concert as delegates wore flashing, light-up bracelets in the United Center during its ceremonial roll call for presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Later, former first lady Michelle Obama cemented her rockstar status with a rousing speech that had some delegates falling all over themselves.

And a real musical artist even showed up on the convention floor — rapper Lil Jon strutted among delegates changing the words of his hit song “Get Low” to support Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, doing so as the Georgia ceremonial roll call was announced.

ALSO READ: Why Kamala Harris may get a big convention polling ‘bounce’

Still, Democratic delegates had no problem dreaming even bigger about potential musical guests for Wednesday and Thursday when asked by Raw Story who they hoped might surprise the thousands of people gathered at Chicago’s United Center.

“John Legend,” said Robert Rios with the U.S. Virgin Islands delegation, expressing love for his “Ordinary People” song.

Robert Rios, U.S. Virgin Islands delegate. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

“Madonna,” said Beth Davidson, a New York delegate and Rockland County legislator. “Shows my age.”

“Jennifer Hudson,” John Gumbs Jr., another delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, said.

But pop megastars Taylor Swift and Beyoncé got the most resounding votes — and their names have been circulating the rumor mill for surprise musical guests, even if reports indicate Swift won't be in Chicago this week. (A top party official didn’t rule out the possibility of a Beyoncé appearance, Forbes reported, and remote video for either musician is always an option.)

ALSO READ: Donald Trump deep in debt while foreign money keeps coming: disclosure

“Oh, Beyoncé,” said Crystal Martinez, a delegate from California, saying her hopes for an appearance from the star were “the highest.”

“Taylor Swift,” said Hannah Wroblewski with the Nebraska delegation, who considers herself a Swiftie and showed off a friendship bracelet that said “Vote.”

“Beyoncé” said Carol Blood, a Nebraska state senator.

Carol Blood and Hannah Wroblewski of the Nebraska delegation. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

“A tie between Taylor Swift and Beyoncé,” said Keri Thompson, a Massachusetts delegate.

“How about together?” Raw Story asked.

“That would be even better,” Thompson said.

Keri Thompson and Leslie Templeton of the Massachusetts delegation. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

Thompson theorized a Swift appearance could be within reach.

“We do have the wristbands that Taylor uses at her concerts. At least they’re using that idea,” Thompson said. “Taylor's still in London, but she’s almost done.”

Leslie Templeton, another Massachusetts delegate chimed in, “I would cry. I would cry for either, actually.”

If Madonna doesn’t show up, Davidson would be happy to see either Swift or Beyoncé.

Beth Davidson, New York delegate. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

“They can't do a duet? I like them both for different reasons,” she said. “My daughter's a Swiftie, but I’m with Queen Bey.”

Gumbs would want to hear Beyoncé — specifically her song “Listen” — if given the choice between the two, as would Rios.

John Gumbs, Jr. of the U.S. Virgin Islands delegation. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

“It's a powerful song, especially what's going on and being able to have our own voice,” Gumbs said. “We as Americans need to have our own voice and speak up and fight for what's right.”

Swift has not yet endorsed Harris although some experts predict it’s likely. She endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020.

Beyoncé has given a subtle endorsement to Harris by allowing her to use her song “Freedom” during her first visit to her campaign headquarters and in a campaign video.

Musical performances have long been features of national political conventions, and the Democrats’ 2024 affair — the first in-person convention in eight years — is no exception.

But there have already been hitches.

“Fire and Rain” singer-songwriter James Taylor was scheduled to perform Monday but got cut as speeches ran past midnight Eastern time. The Monday convention speeches started late in part due to pro-Palestine protesters tearing down security fencing, delaying buses carrying delegates.

Gumbs, for one, didn’t really care about Taylor — the older male one — getting scratched, but Martinez said she hoped the legendary performer would play on one of the convention’s final two days.

“Maybe he'll have an opportunity to come back,” Martinez said. “I grew up with James Taylor, so it would be neat, but I understand.”

Crystal Martinez, California delegate (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

Spokespeople for the Democratic National Convention did not immediately respond to questions from Raw Story about musical performances on Wednesday and Thursday.

'Unmistakably extraordinary': CNN hosts gush over Obamas after powerful DNC speeches

CNN anchors Dana Bash and Abby Phillip lauded Barack and Michelle Obama following their powerful speeches at the Democratic National Convention.

Talking with the two after the pair of speeches, fellow anchor Jake Tapper noted that the Obamas celebrated Harris and the convention, but that it's time for Democrats to get to work.

"Both of them were giving the unmistakable message to the crowd: yes, this is fun. We're having a great time. This is very exciting. But this is not what the next 77 days are going to look like," said Tapper, paraphrasing the Obamas with a laugh. "This is going to be tough. Your candidates are going to make mistakes. The other side is going to fight like hell."

Bash agreed with Tapper, noting that both spoke to the Democratic base, the energized grassroots, but also to swing voters, undecided voters and Ronald Reagan-era Republicans.

ALSO READ: Why Kamala Harris may get a big convention polling ‘bounce’

She praised Barack Obama as "unmistakably extraordinary."

"There's no Republican who would say anything different," she said. But it was Michelle who seemed to land even better with the audience.

"When Michelle Obama was speaking," she said, looking over to Phillip, "we were talking — we couldn't hear."

Phillip echoed Bash's remark.

"That was the loudest this arena had gotten," Phillip said.

"This place was going absolutely nuts," added Bash, particularly over one line that Michelle Obama said.

"When she talked about the fact that he dislikes them effectively for one reason," said Bash. "And that is because they are Black. That's effectively what she said."

Michelle "twisted the knife" when she said they have the "Black jobs," added Bash.

Phillip called the Obamas "two of the best players in politics right now."

"Two people who can speak in ways that almost no one else in the party can speak," she said. "Particularly Michelle Obama. That speech really electrified this arena. I don't even think Barack Obama — no offense to him, his speech was excellent — it was not received in the same way. I think we just have to be honest by that."

'Hope is making a comeback': Michelle Obama makes rousing speech to DNC

Former first lady Michelle Obama roused supporters at the Democratic National Convention as she remarked in her speech that "hope is making a comeback."

The crowd erupted into applause Tuesday night as Obama took the stage to stump for Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee — and decry hate and division.

"Something wonderfully magical is in the air isn’t it?" Mrs. Obama said to roaring applause.

She noted there's a "contagious power of hope."

ALSO READ: Stop the Steal 2024 is here

She noted that the energy is "spreading all across this country" — a "familiar feeling buried too deep, for far too long."

"The anticipation, the energy the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day," she said. "The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation."

Watch the clip below or at this link.

MAGA congressional candidate: Michelle Obama might be a man, bring back Aunt Jemima

There is MAGA and then there is Derrick Evans, a candidate for the Republican nomination in West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District.

Raw Story recently documented how the once-remorseful Jan. 6 admitted felon has, since a plea bargain that landed him in prison, become more than just a fire-breathing, election-denying Trump acolyte.

Of particular note, he has made his status as a Jan. 6 “prisoner” his political brand as he attempts to defeat incumbent Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) in a Republican primary, then win the general election in this conservative congressional district.

ALSO READ: 11 ways Trump doesn’t become president

In doing so, Evans, who on Tuesday earned the endorsement of Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has treated the bounds of decency as he did police barriers when he charged into the Capitol.

Raw Story requested comment from Evans two days prior to publication of its story on March 22. Evans responded a day after publication. Raw Story requested a phone interview, which he declined. But Evans agreed to answer written questions.

Below is a transcript of Raw Story’s email exchange with Evans:

Raw Story: Prosecutors wrote to the judge before your sentencing that you were keeping a “low profile”: “This distinguishes Evans from some rioters with significant public profiles who have used their platforms after January 6 to brag about their conduct or to continue to promote the myth that the presidential election was stolen, justifying the incursion into the Capitol.”

Evans: Any nation that tries to disallow the accused from using their notoriety to raise funds for their legal defense is Stalinist and Totalitarian by definition.

Raw Story: You are now doing exactly what the prosecutors praised you for avoiding. Why did you become loudly defiant (calling yourself a “hostage” and “political prisoner,” promoting your status as a Jan 6 prisoner, etc.) only after presenting yourself in court as remorseful?

Evans: Since the evidence clearly shows that the J6 operation run by [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and [former House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and [former Vice President] Mike Pence was a Reichstag Fire type event designed to explode the overreach of the police state — as evidenced by the fact that there are political prisoners still sitting in prison — I've decided to use my voice, since they're not able to use their voices, to fight against this violent brand of authoritarianism.

Raw Story: You said you were in solitary confinement in prison for several days? You served your time in a minimum security facility. Do you have any proof that you were held in solitary confinement for refusing the COVID vaccine?

The 2020 election was stolen. To cover for this crime, the illegitimate Biden regime threw myself & countless others in prison for peacefully protesting their theft.

No amount of prison & no amount of solitary confinement will change the fact:

TRUMP WON! pic.twitter.com/U1dzmrdRdg
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) February 11, 2024

Evans: When you are rewarded with the job of warden at your own gulag, you can make sure all the prisoners have paperwork proving they were put into solitary for refusing the BioWeapon.

Raw Story: Do you regret saying on social media, “Who thinks Michelle Obama is really a man?” What did you mean? Why did you post that?

Evans: Since there are no photos of Michelle Obama during either of her pregnancies, I think it is a fair question to ask whether Big Mike has had some sort of elective surgery to accommodate Barack's true wishes. (Note: "Big Mike" is a derogatory name used by some far-right activists to identify former first lady Michelle Obama.)

Raw Story: In social media posts, you have invoked “replacement theory” and said, “Put Aunt Jemima back on the syrup bottle.” How are these not racist statements?

Put Aunt Jemima back on the syrup bottle.
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 17, 2024

Evans: Since Democrats are clearly the racists for taking Aunt Jemima off the syrup bottle, I thought I'd advocate returning her to the bottle.

Raw Story: You posted about the use of “Christian tax dollars.” Are there also Muslim tax dollars? Atheist tax dollars? Agnostic tax dollars?

Evans: Given that there are no-go zones in Muslim areas like Dearborn, Michigan, and Minneapolis, and Muslim [Keith] Ellison is the attorney general in Minnesota, it stands to reason that there absolutely is such a thing as Muslim, Atheist, and Agnostic tax dollars.

Source: Twitter

Raw Story: A fundraising page on your website said that when you get to Congress, “we will turn the tables and the hunters will become the hunted.” What do you mean by that? How will you become a “hunter” and what will you do to the “hunted”? Is “hunter”

and “hunted” appropriate rhetoric for a Congressional candidate, especially one who served time in prison as an admitted felon because of the violence of January 6?

Evans: Since the Biden Department of Justice is hunting President Trump, and is STILL arresting and using January 6 protestors like political footballs to try to steal another illegitimate election this November, I find it hard to believe you don't know what hunted means.

* * *

Matthew Donnellan, chief of staff for Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV), Evans’ opponent in the Republican primary, responded to Raw Story’s request for reaction to several of Evans’ comments.

“Aunt Jemima? The maple syrup?” he said. “Congresswoman Miller is more of a bacon & eggs person than a pancakes/waffles person. But frankly she's more concerned about ending Bidenflation and getting the price of everything from breakfast to energy under control than any of the unimportant distractions.”

'I am terrified': Michelle Obama opens up about sleepless nights

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is terrified of what might happen in the 2024 presidential election, she said in an interview released Monday.

“What’s going to happen for us in this next election?” Obama asked. “I am terrified about what could possibly happen because our leaders matter.”

Obama, speaking to the Jay Shetty Podcast, does not name Donald Trump when asked what keeps her up at night, but she raises serious concerns about whom the nation will choose to hold its highest office in her reply.

“Who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit, it affects us in ways sometimes I think people take for granted," she said.

“We cannot take this Democracy for granted, and sometimes I worry that we do.”

ALSO READ: Stiffed: How Trump's campaign visits cost local police departments

Obama classed her fears with those you “don’t have control over” such as ongoing international wars, climate change, the future of Artificial Intelligence and whether or not Americans will go out and vote.

“You wonder, ‘where are people at?”' Obama said. “Where are our hearts?”

Watch the video below or click here.

Convicted Trump adviser predicts Dem ticket will have 'Michelle as the figurehead'

Embattled Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro floated a new conspiracy in a column for the conservative Washington Times, published on Tuesday: that Democrats are plotting to overthrow President Joe Biden at the convention at the last minute — by an alliance led by former First Lady Michelle Obama "as the figurehead" and her husband pulling the strings in a de facto third term.

Navarro, who previously advised former President Donald Trump on trade issues, was convicted last year of contempt of Congress, for his blanket refusal to provide testimony to the House January 6 Select Committee.

"Mr. Biden will not step aside before the end of the Democratic primary season. Instead, without real opposition, Mr. Biden will be poised to accept his coronation at the Democratic National Convention in August in Chicago," wrote Navarro. "Democratic strategists now plotting the Biden coup see this uncontested primary season as an essential element of a winning November strategy. As Richard Nixon once advised, run to the right to win the Republican nomination but run back to the middle to win the general election."

According to Navarro's theory, Democratic advisers will first appeal to Biden to step aside, and if not, "key leaders within his party and the legacy media will take Mr. Biden down and thereby clear the path for a fresh ticket." That ticket, he believes, is Michelle Obama and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), with Barack Obama pulling the strings from the shadows.

There is no evidence Newsom or the Obamas have any plans to push aside Biden, and Michelle Obama has frequently said she hates getting into politics.

"Middle America, where the median voter lives, is sick to death over the takeover of this country by radical Democratic progressives destroying everything from our economy, society and political system to, most dangerously, our borders and national security," Navarro fumed in the opinion piece. "For a Republican win, Democratic strategists must not be allowed to obscure the hot, steaming policy excrement of a 'woke' policy agenda inside a fancy moderate Michelle Obama wrapping."

Melania slammed for not wearing black at Rosalynn Carter's funeral

Viewers of former first lady Rosalynn Carter's memorial service Tuesday are comparing Melania Trump's outfit of light grey, rather than traditional funeral black, to the headline-making coat she donned when her husband was in the White House.

"She might as well have 'I really don't care, do you?' on the back of that coat," said filmmaker and producer Andy Ostroy.

Added national security expert Marcy Wheeler, "I'm glad Melania showed up, didn't wear her 'I really don't care do you' jacket, and showed that this is more important to her than any of her spouse's four criminal trials."

Trump was slammed with criticism for the fashion choice on social media by a slew of followers who called her outfit disrespectful.

"She just couldn't bring herself to wear black," agreed emergency room doctor, Andrea R. M.D. "You're not edgy Melania, you are the epitome of trash."

"In a world full of Melania Trumps, be a Rosalynn Carter," said influencer @IrishryGirl.

Janet Johnson knocked CNN for "fawning over Melania Trump" attending the funeral, "and Trump managing to put out a statement where he did't call her a loser."

While only a few surviving presidents were in attendance, all of the living first ladies came to celebrate Carter's life. Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton sat side-by-side in black.