New York, United States: First Lady Michelle Obama took a veiled swipe at Donald Trump while delivering a passionate defense of immigration and diversity, in the final commencement address of her husband's presidency on Friday.
"Infusions of new cultures and new ideas, generation after generation, created the matchless alchemy of our melting pot and helped us build the strongest, most vibrant, most prosperous nation on the planet," Obama told the 2016 graduating class of City College of New York.
"Some folks out there today seem to have a very different perspective," she said, appearing to allude to the presumptive Republican nominee for president, without using his name.
"They seem to view our diversity as a threat to be contained rather than as a resource to be tapped, they tell us to be afraid of those who are different," said the first lady, wife of Democratic president Barack Obama in remarks that appeared more pointedly political than usual.
"They act as if name calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate, as if anger and intolerance should be our default state."
Donald Trump has vowed to build a wall along America's southern border to keep out illegal immigrants, and has run a controversial campaign insulting women, Mexicans, Muslims, the disabled and journalists whom he dislikes, among others.
"In America we don't give in to our fears, we don't build up walls to keep people out, because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people born elsewhere but sought this country," Obama said.
She deliberately chose CCNY, a public college and immigrant-rich New York for her final address to a university graduating class.
The school welcomes students who speak more than 150 different languages and come from every possible background in a city that for centuries was the gateway for immigrants striving for a better life in America, Obama said.
While she did not mention Trump, Michelle Obama did reference ex-secretary of state Colin Powell, a CCNY graduate and son of Jamaican immigrants who served Republican president George W Bush, calling him a role model for young people.
"Infusions of new cultures and new ideas, generation after generation, created the matchless alchemy of our melting pot and helped us build the strongest, most vibrant, most prosperous nation on the planet," Obama told the 2016 graduating class of City College of New York.
"Some folks out there today seem to have a very different perspective," she said, appearing to allude to the presumptive Republican nominee for president, without using his name.
"They act as if name calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate, as if anger and intolerance should be our default state."
Advertisement
"In America we don't give in to our fears, we don't build up walls to keep people out, because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people born elsewhere but sought this country," Obama said.
Advertisement
The school welcomes students who speak more than 150 different languages and come from every possible background in a city that for centuries was the gateway for immigrants striving for a better life in America, Obama said.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Trump's Veep Pick JD Vance's Wife And Her "Academically Strong" Family Opinion: Opinion | A Shot In The Arm: Trump's Rise Suddenly Seems Inevitable Biden Told Privately By Ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi He Cannot Win: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 4 Passengers Die As 12 Coaches Of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derail In UP Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Sensex Breaches 81,000 Mark, Nifty Scales 24,800 Peak On IT, FMCG Gains 'Yodha' Is A Mammoth Documentation Of India's Wars And Battles Woman Dies After Jumping Off Elevated Platform At Delhi Metro Station: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.