The former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama spoke of investing in “creating thousands of mes” when she spoke Tuesday at an event put on by Klick Health, a healthcare marketing firm.
Klick’s “MUSE” event in New York City billed Michelle Obama as “a transformative First Lady” and also had Sheryl Crow on hand as the musical entertainment.
According to AOL, the former first lady said “This is why I’m not going to run for president. Because I think it’s a better investment to invest in creating thousands of mes,” and “We don’t need just one, we need thousands and thousands.”
Evidently, her remarks were a recogniation that, at 54, she needed to make way for younger members of the political left. “As an older leader I think an important part of leadership is stepping out of the way and making room,” she said.
In ruling out a presidential run, she hinted that the Obama brand might not be as shiny and new was it once was, saying that young people are “tired of watching us do the same old thing and expect different results.”
Time magazine quoted Obama praising Black Lives Matter activists and the anti-gun students who have been promoted into national prominence to combat the National Rifle Association after suriviving a shooting at their Parkland, Florida, high school as among the hope she sees in the youth. “We see these kids in Florida, the Black Lives Matter kids. They are smart, they are passionate, they do have the right values,” she told the audience. “They know inequity. They know wrong when they see it. There is hope in that next generation. They’re tired of watching us do the same old thing and expect different results.”
According to People magazine, Obama also appeared to admit she has a committee look over her tweets before she posts them. “I tweet, but I have a committee,” she said. “I don’t just tweet off the top of my head, which I don’t encourage people to do—especially kids.”
The remarks were apparently part of a thinly veiled insult to President Donald Trump over his sometimes-raucous tweeting habits. “How many kids do you know that the first thing that comes off the top of their head is the first thing they should express? You know? It’s like, ‘Take a minute. Talk to your crew before you put that [out there] and then spell check and check the grammar,’” she reportedly said. “I think kids do think telling it like it is and talking off the top of your head [is cool] … [but] that’s never been good. We weren’t raised like that. That’s rude. That’s what you call rude. But yes, I use social media. But I use it like a grown-up.”
The event at which Obama spoke, the MUSE New York conference, is part of a series of events put on by Klick Health in major cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago. According to the marketing firm’s website:
Muse celebrates some of the world’s most potent and exhilarating ideas. You’ll meet the people who are bravely pushing the boundaries of what’s possible at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Guests can expect an evening of captivating performances, spectacular food, and riveting storytelling.
The following video is included, giving a taste of the MUSE milieu: