06/16/2026
We choose love and Michelle Obama! ❤️
Michelle Obama has spent her life proving that true power lies in lifting others up. The contrast with Donald Trump -- and those he chooses to celebrate -- could not be starker.
Last night, Trump marked his 80th birthday by staging professional cage fights on the South Lawn -- something just 16 percent of Americans said was appropriate to hold at the White House. But the most telling moment came after the fighting stopped: after one fighter, Josh Hokit, won his bout, he draped a necklace around the president's neck at ringside and capped his post-fight interview with one of the ugliest smears in modern American politics, declaring "Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?" to cheers from the MAGA-heavy crowd.
This is who Trump invites to perform on the people's lawn. This is what he platforms, applauds, and rewards.
The condemnation was swift -- including from the sports world itself. "It takes a really small man to use his biggest moment to attack a woman by calling her a man," wrote former NFL quarterback and broadcaster Robert Griffin III. "Especially with the history behind calling Black women men."
And it is not an aberration -- it's a pattern. In February, during one of his regular late-night social media binges, Trump shared a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, their faces superimposed onto primates in a jungle setting and set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Only after the story exploded across the press did the post quietly disappear. Far from apologizing, the White House dug in -- press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the widespread condemnation as "fake outrage."
Here's what makes this so insidious: the apes video and the cage-side smear drew attention because they were aimed at a beloved former First Lady. But Trump's feed is a daily sewer of conspiracy theories, white nationalist content, and vicious personal attacks. Any single one would be a career-ending scandal for a normal president. Trump produces so much of it that it's become background noise -- the new normal.
Media critics have a term for how this happens: "sanewashing." Because Truth Social -- which Trump founded and owns -- has a fraction of the reach of mainstream platforms, most Americans never see the raw, unfiltered stream of delusion Trump pumps out daily. Journalists, trained to extract news nuggets from political speeches, end up laundering his incoherence into something resembling conventional political discourse.
As Parker Molloy wrote in The New Republic: "This 'sanewashing' of Trump's statements isn't just poor journalism; it's a form of misinformation that poses a threat to democracy."
But the facade is cracking. The behavior of the octogenarian has become so erratic that members of Congress from both parties are openly questioning whether he's fit to serve. Rep. Yassamin Ansari didn't hold back: "The president of the United States is extremely mentally ill and it's putting all of our lives at risk. The 25th Amendment exists for a reason -- we need to invoke it immediately." Even former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger weighed in: "Guys. Republicans. It's time to move Gramps into a home. Let's adults govern again."
It's not just elected officials sounding the alarm. Ty Cobb, Trump's former White House lawyer, said: "I think there's been a significant decline. He's always been driven by narcissism. But I think the dementia and the cognitive decline are, you know, palpable." Dr. Jonathan Reiner, the former cardiologist to Vice President Dick Cheney, called for "a bipartisan congressional inquiry into presidential fitness." When Trump's own allies start using the word "dementia," the rest of us should pay attention.
Meanwhile, Michelle Obama's star has only kept rising since leaving the White House. She has remained a beloved figure dedicated to empowering women, expanding girls' education worldwide, and mobilizing voters through her organization When We All Vote, which has reached more than 100 million Americans. Earlier this year, her documentary "Becoming" rocketed back into Netflix's Top 10, viewership exploding over 13,000% -- 47.5 million viewing minutes in a single weekend. Americans know authenticity when they see it.
And they know what real strength looks like. As Michelle Obama has said: "Strong men -- men who are truly role models -- don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together."
One so-called leader uses his insomniac rages to demean, divide, and debase. He threw himself a birthday party of staged violence, let a low-class cretin slander a former First Lady to his face, and smiled in response. The other, a true leader, has devoted her life to something Trump will never understand: lifting others as you rise. That's the difference between power and strength -- and Americans know it.
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To introduce children to this trailblazing First Lady, we recommend the board book "I Look Up To... Michelle Obama" for ages 2 to 4 (https://www.amightygirl.com/i-look-up-to-michelle-obama), the picture book "Michelle Obama" for ages 5 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/michelle-obama-little-people), and her memoir "Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/becoming-young-readers)
For adult readers who would like to learn more this pioneering First Lady, we highly recommend her uplifting memoir "Becoming" at https://www.amightygirl.com/becoming
For more children's books about inspiring First Ladies, visit our blog post "Remember the Ladies: 25 Children's Books on Women in Politics" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11162
For two excellent books to help give tween and teen girls the confidence to stand up for themselves and others, we highly recommend “Stand Up For Yourself and Your Friends” for ages 7 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/stand-up-for-yourself-and-your-friends) and “Express Yourself: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are” for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/express-yourself-guide)
To inspire children with stories that show girls and women leading the way -- in positive ways -- visit our "Initiative & Leadership" section at https://www.amightygirl.com/books/personal-development/values?cat=322
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