The first lady never mentioned Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the rally at LaSalle University. But there was no question that she was warning voters that candidate Trump would be the same as President Trump.
“The presidency doesn’t change who you are, it reveals who you are,” she told the cheering crowd.
She said the country needs a leader who is steady and measured because when making war-or-peace decisions, “the president can’t just pop off or lash out irrationally. No, we need an adult in the White House, I guarantee you.”
Later Wednesday, she appeared at a rally for the Democratic presidential nominee at the University of Pittsburgh, where she changed the wording to “grown-up.”
She cast Clinton as a tough, compassionate fighter who doesn’t back down and who loves her country.
“Experience matters, preparation matters, temperament matters,” she said. “Hillary Clinton has it all. She’s the real deal.”
She told the crowd in Pittsburgh she understands some voters are uninspired this year, but this election is too important not to vote.
“Either Hillary Clinton or her opponent will be the next president this year. The stakes are too high to take that chance” by not voting or casting a protest vote for someone else, she said. “It isn’t about voting for the perfect candidate. There’s no such thing.”
Trump’s campaign reacted to Obama’s speech with a statement saying Clinton is in “panic mode” in Pennsylvania because polls show the Republican presidential nominee surging in the battleground state.
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Associated Press writer Joe Mandak contributed to this report from Pittsburgh.