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Ultra-conservative commentator Tomi Lahren is facing backlash after telling former First Lady Michelle Obama to "sit down, Michelle." Her comments were in response to Mrs. Obama's speech at a "When We All Vote" rally.
The former first lady was cautioning against apathy in young voters:
"If we want qualified people that we trust, then people have to vote. Because you can’t vote some of the time and then sit out. You know, we saw that happen. We experienced that, But we had a great president.”
The assertion that the United States "had a great president" didn't sit well with Lahren, who took to Twitter to chastise her.
Michelle Obama said we “had” a great president. By what measure? Not in economic growth. Not in border enforcement.… https://t.co/eVMFDo536F— Tomi Lahren (@Tomi Lahren) 1537798942.0
Lahren reiterated the statements on Fox News.
Lahren asserted:
"By what measure would I ask that her husband was a better president than the current president? Not that kind of growth, not in poor security, not independent relations, not in making the United States strong and America first strong on the international stage again."
And Lahren would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those Twittering kids.
@TomiLahren By what measure? More than doubled the stock market. More than halved unemployment. Saved country fr… https://t.co/1pzdEm76tT— Mr. Mo'Kelly 🎙️ (@Mr. Mo'Kelly 🎙️) 1537907902.0
@TomiLahren I know excessive exposure to bleach can affect your thinking, so I'll go easy on you. When Obama took o… https://t.co/By2LkrNMzr— Spikewitwicky (@Spikewitwicky) 1537849540.0
@TomiLahren Tomi, 3 strikes and you're out. 1. Obama inherited the GOP's Great Recession and gave us 79 straight m… https://t.co/fPggfd2rhp— LiarinChief (@LiarinChief) 1537799324.0
@TomiLahren Hmm besides gay rights, step in the right direction for healthcare, ending the war in Iraq/capture of b… https://t.co/Ot4A7WGNRG— CC (@CC) 1537909768.0
Many couldn't believe Lahren's statement that President Donald Trump had redeemed the reputation of the United States on the world stage. The ridicule worsened when, only one day after this tweet, world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly laughed at Trump's boasts that he'd had the greatest first two years of any president in history.
@TomiLahren totally. https://t.co/8vU6Sd6fBg— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1537825023.0
@TomiLahren The world laughed at your President today, Tubetop.— Charles Song (@Charles Song) 1537909710.0
@TomiLahren oh the irony. Trump was literally just laughed at on the world's stage. sit the fuck down tommy.— Jeff Lewis (@Jeff Lewis) 1537907419.0
And when it comes to public opinion, it's fairly safe to say that Michelle Obama has Tomi Lahren beat.
Many jumped to the former first lady's defense.
@TomiLahren I would rather trust a woman that has more university degrees, and have raise 2 daughters, while her hu… https://t.co/T9XCUq4KQP— jody (@jody) 1537928776.0
@TomiLahren Ya know what, Michelle Obama should sit down. Behind the desk. In the Oval Office. As our next POTUS.… https://t.co/iVfefrivxT— Emilie💋 (@Emilie💋) 1537928229.0
@Mooglet1 @TomiLahren Tomi Lahren's opinion is worth less than the dirt underneath Michelle Obama's shoes.— 🐨🇦🇺vegemite kid🇦🇺🦘 (@🐨🇦🇺vegemite kid🇦🇺🦘) 1537961558.0
Mrs. Obama has long been a favorite target of conservatives like Tomi Lahren.
The former first lady has received criticism even for efforts as innocuous as advocating healthier school lunches for America's children. One Fox News host went so far as to call her a hypocrite because she could stand to "lose a few pounds."
Republicans' ire for Mrs. Obama often invokes racist connotations as well. One Virginia official resigned after calling Michelle Obama an "ape in high heels." When asked what he would like to see Michelle Obama do in 2017, New York co-chairman for Donald Trump's campaign Carl Paladino said:
“I’d like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortable in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.”
Paladino showed no regret when asked if he'd actually said the comments:
“Of course I did. Tell them all to go f--- themselves.”
Despite the hatred often lobbed at her from the right, Mrs. Obama has frequently exemplified the advice from her famous speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention: "When they go low, we go high."