Michelle Obama Defends Greta Thunberg Against Trump’s Bullying

President Donald Trump had some choice words for 16-year-old Greta Thunberg after she was named as TIME magazine’s Person of the Year for 2019, and now coming to her defense, former First Lady Michelle Obama.

After TIME announced Thunberg was the winner on December 11, that she’d beaten dozens of other impressive nominees which included the President, Keanu Reeves, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Trump tweeted, “So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”

Thunberg indirectly replied to Trump by changing her Twitter bio. The Swedish teen’s profile now reads: “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.”

Users online were quick to show Thunberg support, tweeting out their frustration as to why the President would publicly troll such an inspiring teenager with Asperger’s. Trump was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year title in 2016, after winning the presidential election against Hillary Clinton, and while Trump he appears to be unhappy with the new direction the magazine took in 2019, Obama shared a strong sentiment of support for Thunberg on Thursday night.

Obama tweeted, “.@GretaThunberg, don’t let anyone dim your light. Like the girls I’ve met in Vietnam and all over the world, you have so much to offer us all. Ignore the doubters and know that millions of people are cheering you on.”

Time Magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote in the issue that Thunberg “has become the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet—and the avatar of a broader generational shift in our culture that is playing out everywhere from the campuses of Hong Kong to the halls of Congress in Washington.”

Thunberg, who’s been passionate about climate change since the third grade, landed in the national spotlight after traveling on a 60-foot carbon-neutral yacht in order to kick off a months-long tour of North and South America, then condemned the actions of world leaders in a fiery speech at the annual U.N. climate change conference.

She said,

“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency, but no matter how sad and angry I am I do not want to believe that because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil, and that I refuse to believe.”

Thunberg Has Met With President Barack Obama In Person

When Thunberg arrived stateside in September, she sat down with both the former President to discuss her goals to get other young people involved in Fridays for Future strikes, which encourages students are the world to push for action on climate change.

After their chat, Obama tweeted about their meeting by saying, “Just 16, @GretaThunberg is already one of our planet’s greatest advocates. Recognizing that her generation will bear the brunt of climate change, she’s unafraid to push for real action. She embodies our vision at the
@ObamaFoundation: A future shaped by young leaders like her.”

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