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Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty
Michelle Obama spoke before the Democratic National Convention on its second night, moving the audience and social media users watching.Former First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage to address the audience in support of the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and social media was inspired and moved by her words. Mrs. Obama took the stage as part of the trio of headliners closing out the second night of the convention, dressed in an impeccable navy blue dress as she came on after Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. She was greeted with a huge standing ovation by the crowd. “OK! We’ve got a big night ahead!”, Obama said, telling them that it was the first time that she had been back in her native Chicago since her mother passed away. “I was not even sure if I would be steady enough to stand before you, but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty I feel to honor her memory. And to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future.”
“Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?”, Obama asked before continuing: “A familiar feeling that’s been buried for far too long…the contagious power of hope!” The crowd would be rapturous with applause as she touted the attributes of Vice President Harris, imploring the crowd to join her in a call-and-response to support Harris by organizing and voting with the words “Do something!” The former First Lady would also speak about Harris’ commonalities with the American people, especially Black people and other people of color. “She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.”
Mrs. Obama also took time to knock Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump for his series of attacks on the vice president, referencing his chaotic NABJ appearance last month. “Who is going to tell him the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?” she quipped. Social media users were enthralled by her words, with many noting her jabs at Trump and marveling over her poise. “Michelle Obama is literally Beyoncé, and I can’t explain it,” wrote one social media user Jasmyn in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Check out the responses to Michelle Obama’s DNC speech below.
1. Franklin Leonard
2. Nida Khan
3. Melissa Murray
4. Jemele Hill
5. Jazz Lewis
6. Emma Gray
7. Trill Clinton
8. Allen K.
9. Samuel Schwartz
10. sunandcoffee
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Source: Joe Raedle / Getty
Prominent right-wing figures have been spotted attending the Democratic National Convention, prompting social media users to question their motives.The Democratic National Convention [see NewsOne’s Live Updates] entered its second night on Tuesday (August 20) after a much-watched opening night that closed with President Joe Biden as the final speaker. The energy at the DNC appears to be strong enough to attract certain right-wing figures who have been spotted in the audience and around the United Center where the convention is being held. And many on social media have noticed with puzzlement and derision. The first sighting was of notable far-right figure Charlie Kirk, who was seen in the hallway by 13-year-old content creator Knowa who asked him pointedly, “Why did you say that the Civil Rights bill should be overturned?” Kirk, who was off camera, replied, “I didn’t say that. I said it was a mistake.” He then walked off as Knowa responded, “Why? That’s crazy! I wouldn’t be here!”
The conservative podcaster Matt Walsh was spotted in the DNC audience by Bulwark contributor Joe Petricone, dressed in a “White Dudes For Harris” t-shirt and a blazer with buttons supporting the Democratic Party. Speculation from some online revealed that it might be a stunt that would possibly be included in his upcoming documentary for The Daily Wire entitled Am I Racist? The premise of the film is Walsh who is playing “a bumbling, zealous DEI trainee,” to ensure that “DEI is the next pillar of the woke mind virus that’s about to topple,” according to co-CEO Jeremy Boreing who also serves as executive producer.
Florida Representative Byron Donalds was also seen entering the United Center, which was shared in a post on X, formerly Twitter by University of Houston Student Body President Joshua R. Martin. “FASCIST ALERT!!! Doing my “black job” and exposing @ByronDonalds. Not surprised he’s here, I’d be looking for a new candidate too if mine was getting as cooked as bad as his is,” he wrote, capping it off with a laughing emoji.
The appearances from these supporters of Republican nominee Donald Trump drew some concerned reactions from social media users, while others heavily mocked the three figures. One user wrote, “They want to know what its like to attend a fun convention.” Another user named Coco Diva opined, “It’s strategic. They ARE up to something.”
Check out the responses to the surprise MAGA appearances at the DNC below.
2. 2Strong2Silence
3. brooklyncookie
4. Ms. Jamie
5. NetskiD
6. Alex Jewell
7. Hadley Sheley
8. Aud To The Ley
9. Jeffrey
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Source: @joolieanniemarie / Instagram
Social Media has the power to shift culture in just an instant. The latest example is the way that TikTok creator Jools Lebron catapulted the word “demure” into the online collective consciousness.
Lebron, who identifies as a transgender woman, created several videos where she talked about how she presents herself at work as “very demure, very mindful.” The initial video garnered more than 10 million views in the first week. Lebron went on to make more videos using the buzzword and how to achieve these qualities.
She recently told US Weekly that she was motivated to create the videos because there’s been a “lack of empathy and regard for people’s feelings” as well as how they “represent themselves” on social media.
The viral trend has done more than just make Lebron’s catchphrases a household name. According to Variety, she now has made enough money to complete her gender transition.
“One day, I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across countries to host events, and I’m gonna be able to finance the rest of my transition,” she said n a recent online post.
The trend jumped from TikTok to X (formerly Twitter) with millions making posts about being “demure.” Further, copycat videos from celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez made the trend explode even further.
“I grew up an influencer kid, like, I watched all YouTube and all kinds of stuff like that,” Lebron told US Weekly. “Seeing them do the trend, and just welcome in someone that has loved them, and follow me back and show me my flowers has been everything.”
The trend even made it to The White House.
“When I did start making TikToks, I found more girls like me. I found girls who are plus size who are trans, who are having the same experiences that come uniquely with that set of combinations,” she told CBS News.
Lebron said that she does receive some negative comments on her videos, saying, “I think that people get in survival mode and they forget how they’re also being perceived when they leave a nasty comment or when they’re being rude or whatever,” she noted. “Let’s be demure. Let’s be mindful of why we came. Let’s be mindful because we didn’t come to just be mean girls.”
She continued, “We didn’t come to be messy and this applies to everything: your appearance, your mindset. Be mindful of what you think. Be mindful of your actions, and be demure, modest and reserved. That doesn’t mean a race, a color, an ethnicity, a finance. ‘Demurity’ is being the most thoughtful, mindful version of yourself.”
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty / Plies
Nobody had on their bingo cards that Hip-Hop star Plies would be one of the biggest political voices on X. The rapper is now sharing his opinion on the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, and his real reasoning behind purchasing the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The always outspoken Plies sees the jig regarding Elon Musk and the real reason he reluctantly dropped $44 billion on Twitter.
Musk bought the platform because he believes in protecting free speech, allegedly. According to the “Buss It Baby” crafter, Musk’s reasons are all political.
Plies Spotting Elon Musk’s Jig
In an August 6 post on Musk’s janky platform, Plies accused the Tesla chief of purchasing it for political reasons and even believes he will shut it down as Donald Trump continues to fall behind in the polls because he is a staunch supporter of the orange menace.
“I Can See Elon Shutting Down Twitter When Trump Continues To Fall Behind In The Polls. He Brought Twitter To Influence The Election. An Before He Accepts A Trump Loss I Believe He’ll Shut It All Down!!!!,” the rapper wrote.
Plies commentary on the matter as Trump prepares to sit down with Musk for what he describes will be the “interview of the century.” Still, we all know nothing of substance will come from it, and we can look back to his sitdown at NABJ and recent “press conference” as evidence of that.
“Elon called me, as you know he endorsed me full throated, a great endorsement,” Trump rambled to reporters. “I respect Elon a lot, he respects me. He told me he is going to have a show Monday, I think Monday night, and he invited me so it’ll be very interesting. A lot of people are talking about it. I look forward to it.”
Riggghhhtttt.
Plies The Political Star
Plies disdain for Donald Trump and unwavering support for the Biden/Harris campaign, and now the Harris/Waltz ticket, has made him one of the few Hip-Hop artists and celebs not out here “Trumpin” around.
His political takes have also made him very popular among Democrats. He is so popular that DNC Chair Jaime Harrison has reached out to him in hopes of getting him to attend the upcoming Democrat National Convention in Chicago.
You can see more reactions to Plies’ observation about Phony Stark in the gallery below.
1. Mmhhhmmmm
2. A better option
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Source: Joe Raedle / Getty
Donald Trump’s wandering press event had people on social media picking apart his wildest false claims and noting his erratic behavior again.On Thursday (August 8), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump held a press event at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump seemed peeved about Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign for president dominating the airwaves, particularly within the past week as she picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate. “If Kamala has 1,000 people at a Rally, the Press goes “crazy,” and talks about how “big” it was – And she pays for her “Crowd,” Trump falsely stated during the hour-long event. “When I have a Rally, and 100,000 people show up, the Fake News doesn’t talk about it, THEY REFUSE TO MENTION CROWD SIZE. The Fake News is the Enemy of the People!” He even attacked Walz, claiming he was “heavy into the transgender world”.
He didn’t stop there. In response to his false claim that it was a peaceful transfer of power when he left office, he then falsely claimed that he drew bigger crowds than were present at the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. “Nobody has spoken to crowds bigger than me. If you look at Martin Luther King when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours … we had more,” Trump said, referring to the crowd that would initiate the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump also falsely claimed that he was in a helicopter crash with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and also attacked Vice President Harris’ racial identity again, saying she was “very disrespectful” to her Indian and Black heritage. The former president also attacked a reporter asking why he hasn’t been campaigning: “What a stupid question. Because I’m leading by a lot and I’m letting their convention go through. I’m campaigning a lot. I’m doing tremendous amounts.”
The Mar-a-Lago press conference was panned by many on social media who saw it as a desperate attempt to regain attention. Others expressed frustration at the press covering the event without criticizing Trump’s behavior, including MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell who blasted the media for letting “the stupidest candidate” slide. “It was 2016 all over again,” he said. “It would be hard to find a sentence in what Donald Trump said today that did not include at least one lie.”
Check out the responses below.
1. Zerlina Maxwell
2. AmoneyResists
3. TrumpsTaxes
4. Jamie Schler
5. Keith Boykin
6. David Hogg
7. scary lawyerguy
8. Keith Edwards
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Source: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE / Getty
Social media users had a field day mocking Donald Trump after his slur against Kamala Harris’ racial identity during an NABJ panel.On Wednesday (July 31), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took part in a contentious interview at the National Association for Black Journalists convention. Trump disparaged Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by questioning her racial identity. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black,” he said.
The comment stunned those present and sparked a major backlash among those online who watched the live stream of the event, which ended a half-hour earlier than expected due to Trump’s aggressive behavior toward ABC News’ Rachel Scott, one of the moderators of the interview along with Fox News’s Harris Faulkner and Semafor’s Kadia Goba. But comedian and former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. seized the opportunity to mock Donald Trump in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We now know Kamala’s brave story. When did the rest of you “turn” black? How old were you? Where were you when the blackness finally took over your body? Share your stories. This is a safe space,” Wood wrote, using the hashtag #WhenITurnedBlack.
Other users on the platform ran to roast Trump for his racism. One X user, IamRanaTerrell, wrote: “I turned Black when I opened a cookie tin and saw barrettes, rollers, and Bobby pins.” Another user, n16thekid, wrote: “I transferred to a predominantly white middle school, and one day my less-educated caucasian compatriots asked me to, “Stop speaking hood,” because they didn’t know words like “convection” (which were on the worksheet) My melanin truly ascended that day!”
The fallout from Trump’s comments about the vice president hasn’t stopped him and other Republicans from attacking her about her racial identity. She acknowledged them while speaking at the Sigma Gamma Rho’s 60th International Biennial Boulé in Houston, Texas later that day. “This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists.” Harris said, pausing as the crowd booed before continuing: “And it was the same old show: the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth.”
Check out some of the best responses to the #WhenITurnedBlack trend below.
1. Wanda M. Morris
2. Michael Tubbs
4. Maci Peterson Philitas
5. Akilah Hughes
6. Yasmin Angie
8. Tonya McKenzie
10. Write Life
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Source: Samuel Corum / Getty
A Republican congressman called Kamala Harris a “DEI Vice President”, sending social media users into a fury.As Vice President Kamala Harris is securing the nomination to be the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Republican politicians have begun to make their attacks. Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett has become a more vivid example of this thanks to a post he made on X, formerly Twitter on Monday (July 22). “The incompetency level is at an all-time high in Washington. The media propped up this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then dumped him for our DEI vice president,” Burchett wrote in the post which included a video of his appearance on News Nation.
Burchett doubled down on statements that he made to CNN’s Manu Raju in an interview earlier. “Biden said, first off, he’s going to hire a Black female for Vice President, and he just skipped over – what about white females, what about any other group?” he said. When Raju followed up by asking if she was a “DEI hire”, Burchett replied “100%” before saying her record was “abysmal”. The interview took place during a House committee’s interview of now-former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The congressman has been in hot water before, infamously claiming “We’re not gonna fix it” in response to a question about politicians preventing school shootings last year. Burchett is also a fervent supporter of Trump, who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election and refused to hold Trump accountable for his effect on the January 6 insurrection as well as refusing to vote for his impeachment. He’s also attacked Vice President Harris in a past interview with Newsmax, saying: When I hear her talk, I just scratch my head and think this is what DEI is really about. It clearly is. She checks all the boxes. She’ll say she’s of Indian descent one day, then she’ll say she’s of Black descent. It’s just box-checking.”
Those who saw his statement on social media were thoroughly incensed and made it known in their responses defending the country’s first Black, Asian, and woman vice president. One response to Burchett’s post from X user Richard Slaney listed Harris’ previous posts, ending with “She’s very, very qualified.” Another user flatly responded, “If you’ve got a second and want to explain to us how this isn’t racist, go ahead.”
Take a look at the more withering responses to Burchett’s post below.
1. W Kamau Bell
2. Tan01234
3. Neeners777
4. Renegade Cowboy
5. IrishDem
7. Brian Angelle
9. ABPrice PsyD
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Source: Noam Galai / Getty / Tyla
Tyla had to waste time out of her busy day to set the record straight one time about her race.
The South African “Water” singer is riding a wave of success with her hit single and self-titled debut album and is still making press rounds.
During a recent stop at The Breakfast Club, which is becoming the one-stop if you need some controversy, the singer curved a question from host Charlamagne Tha God regarding the past fallout about comments about her race.
How Did This All Begin?
The drama stems from Tyla identifying as “coloured,” which is quite normal for non-white, mixed citizens from South Africa, but in the states, regarded as a slur by Black Americans.
Many folks took her using the term as her way to “disassociate” herself from her Blackness while embracing a term that is widely seen as a slur in the United States.
A debate sparked from her using the term, leading to Charlamagne asking for her perspective on the matter. She punted to her team, who told her not to answer in a now-viral clip.
Hours after the fallout from the clip, Tyla took to her X, formerly Twitter account, to address the situation. She stated that she does identify as a Black woman and further clarified her use of the term “coloured.”
Per The Vibe:
“Never denied my Blackness, idk where that came from,” she began. “I’m mixed with black/Zulu, irish, Mauritian/Indian and Coloured. in Southa I would be classified as a Coloured woman and other places I would be classified as a black woman. Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.”
The “Jump” artist went on, “I don’t expect to be identified as Coloured outside of Southa by anyone not comfortable doing so because i under stand the weight of that word outside of SA, but to close this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a black woman. As a woman for the culture. It’s and not or…with that said ASAMBEEE.” Check out the post below.
The Reactions To Tyla Using “Coloured” Are Still Coming In
Tyla’s initial lack of response to Charlamagne’s question and follow-up statement has not quelled the diaspora war on social media.
Many are defending the 22-year-old musician, while others are using the moment to make jokes about her.
“She essentially is saying refer to her as coloured AND a black woman depending on context, environment, & comfortability…which is what some people have been saying from the get… and some of y’all are still choosing to argue and make this a diaspora war,” one user on X wrote.
Another user joked using The Wayan’s Brother’s iconic opening theme song.
We will log this latest moment in the classic social media nonsense folder.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. We guess she foresaw this.
2. We heard you sis.
3. Pretty much.
4. It does suck, honestly
10. Peter Rosenberg has thoughts on the matter
12. It damn sure is
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Linktree, the leading link-in-bio solution aimed to assist the creative community and beyond, is celebrating a major milestone. The company is proud to announce that it now can boast over 50 million users that have employed Linktree to house all their online activities and more.
Linktree has long served as a hub for all manner of entertainers and popular figures, including folks like Ice Spice, Selena Gomez, and a bevy of fashion bloggers and celebrity content creators.
The resource is important for content creators as Linktree’s data team compiled a 2023 Creator Report which uncovered only half of the creators on the platform make money from their productions. Just a scant 2 percent of those earning money via the tool posted salaries of more than $50,000 annually while 72 percent earn less than $500.
Along with the announcement of the milestone of reaching 50 million users —which the brand refers to as Linkers — the company is aligning with several notable retail giants such as Lululemon, Adidas, Shopbop, New Balance, Net-A-Porter, and more.
This is all part of a new social commerce program that will give creators greater opportunities to earn more with each sale. Linktree is fresh off testing the program, doing so by partnering with Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and Revolve to reach Gen-Z folks where they are online and in seek of those wares. Those who participated in this initial phase of the program saw a 12 percent uptick in online traffic after setting up their shop link.
Source: Linktree
The Beta portion of the program empowered creators to continue to innovate and find ways to connect with established entities and boost their earning potential while raising brand awareness with the entities as mentioned earlier, along with expert curation of products they use via Linketree Shops. Further, the program stands out via its seamless integration, usability, and combining curated content with user-generated contributions.
“We created the link-in-bio category back in 2016 when we launched Linktree as a simple solution to help creators unify their digital presence and drive their audience to the things that matter most to them,” CEO and Co-Founder, Alex Zaccaria of Linktree offered in a statement.
Zaccaria adds, “It’s astounding to see the scale we’ve reached by being Linker-first — now empowering more than 50 million Linkers with a space that they own, to grow and monetize. Through social commerce, we’re tackling a new challenge to ensure creators are compensated in line with the immense value they’re driving. For brands of all sizes, we’re unlocking a creator marketing engine that we hope will democratize the future of marketing and commerce.”
To learn more about Linktree, click here.
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Photo: Linktree
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / X / Twitter
It took a while, but Twitter.com is officially dead.
The rollout for X, Elon Musk’s version of the social media platform known as Twitter, was a hot ass mess. Logging onto Twitter.com still worked, and sharing tweets on websites didn’t work unless you changed the x in the URL to Twitter (that still is the case.).
Today, many desktop Twitter users were surprised to see that typing Twitter.com now redirects them to Elon Musk’s X.
Along with the redirect, a message at the bottom of the webpage says, “We are letting you know that we are changing our URL, but your privacy and data protection settings remain the same.”
The domain transition from Twitter to now X was a weird one. Almost everything, like the platform’s official account, mobile apps, and useless premium accounts, was under the new X branding, while Twitter.com still worked.
Of course, even though Elon Musk is still turning X into the “everything app” he has envisioned, users on X are sticking by the original name and telling Musk, “We are still gonna call it Twitter.”
The platform, formerly known as Twitter, has seen better days. Bots live in people’s mentions, porn is all over timelines, and there are way too many Cheech and Chong edible ads.
Still, as our favorite tech reviewer, Marques Brownlee, said in a post, it’s “still Twitter.”
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Forever