CNN anchors Dana Bash and Abby Phillip lauded Barack and Michelle Obama following their powerful speeches at the Democratic National Convention.
Talking with the two after the pair of speeches, fellow anchor Jake Tapper noted that the Obamas celebrated Harris and the convention, but that it's time for Democrats to get to work.
"Both of them were giving the unmistakable message to the crowd: yes, this is fun. We're having a great time. This is very exciting. But this is not what the next 77 days are going to look like," said Tapper, paraphrasing the Obamas with a laugh. "This is going to be tough. Your candidates are going to make mistakes. The other side is going to fight like hell."
Bash agreed with Tapper, noting that both spoke to the Democratic base, the energized grassroots, but also to swing voters, undecided voters and Ronald Reagan-era Republicans."
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She praised Barack Obama as "unmistakably extraordinary."
"There's no Republican who would say anything different," she said. But it was Michelle who seemed to land even better with the audience.
"When Michelle Obama was speaking," she said, looking over to Phillip, "we were talking — we couldn't hear."
Phillip echoed Bash's remark.
"That was the loudest this arena had gotten," Phillip said.
"This place was going absolutely nuts," added Bash, particularly over one line that Michelle Obama said.
"When she talked about the fact that he dislikes them effectively for one reason," said Bash. "And that is because they are Black. That's effectively what she said."
Michelle "twisted the knife" when she said they have the "Black jobs," added Bash.
Phillip called the Obamas "two of the best players in politics right now."
"Two people who can speak in ways that almost no one else in the party can speak," she said. "Particularly Michelle Obama. That speech really electrified this arena. I don't even think Barack Obama — no offense to him, his speech was excellent — it was not received in the same way. I think we just have to be honest by that."
