Michelle Obama on Trump's actions in office: "Yes, it is racist"

Former first lady Michelle Obama is making her closing argument for Joe Biden this morning, arguing that President Trump has mismanaged the pandemic while "stoking fears about Black and brown Americans."

The big picture: In a video message, the former first lady, who remains wildly popular in the Democratic party, testifies to Biden's personal qualities while sharply criticizing Trump's handling of the racial unrest that has been roiling the country.

• Trump is "lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs ... whipping up violence and intimidation," Obama said.
• "So what the president is doing is, once again, patently false ... it’s morally wrong ... and yes, it is racist. But that doesn't mean it won't work." 

Why it matters: Michelle Obama motivates voters across the Democratic party and was a cut above other speakers at the Democratic convention in August, generating five times as much social interaction than any other speaker, including former President Barack Obama, according to Axios' Neal Rothschild.

Flashback: In late August when she addressed the racial unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Obama said there was "systemic racism" coming from both the White House and elsewhere in the country.

What she's saying: "It didn't have to be like this," Obama said about the pandemic. "So many other countries aren’t experiencing this level of extended suffering and uncertainty."

• She called Trump "a man who knew how deadly this virus is, but who lied to us, and told us it would just disappear. Who, in the greatest crisis of our lifetimes, doubled down on division and resentment."