Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton spent their first joint rally gushing about each other


Speaking on Thursday in front of a crowd of 11,000 people in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, first lady Michelle Obama made a shocking declaration: She considers Hillary Clinton a "friend."
"People wonder," the first lady acknowledged, whether she and the Democratic nominee she's been stumping so passionately for are actually close. But Obama put that rumbling to rest, detailing how close the Obama and Clinton families are before eventually calling the Democratic nominee "my girl."
The North Carolina appearance was the first joint event for Clinton and Obama, and it was Clinton's second-largest crowd of the campaign. And while Obama made an impassioned plea for early voting, telling the thousands assembled that claims of a "rigged" election — like the ones Clinton's opponent Donald Trump has been making — are merely efforts to suppress voter turnout, the shared stage was mostly an opportunity for the two women to gush over each other:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It seems as though if Clinton has her way and throws that post-election national dance party, Obama is sure to be on the guest list.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Democrats: The 2028 race has begun
Feature Democratic primaries have already kicked off in South Carolina
-
The Pentagon's missing missiles
Feature The U.S. military is low on weapons. Can it restock before a major conflict breaks out?
-
Rescissions: Trump's push to control federal spending
Feature The GOP passed a bill to reduce funding for PBS, NPR and other public media stations
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands
-
'Bawdy' Trump letter supercharges Epstein scandal
Speed Read The Wall Street Journal published details of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein