At a rally Friday in North Carolina, Trump complained about the first lady and accused her of attacking Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primaries

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Donald Trump took a rare swipe at Michelle Obama on the campaign trail on Friday.

For much of the campaign, the Republican nominee has avoided directly challenging the first lady. Polls show she is far more popular than her husband or the two presidential nominees.

But at a rally Friday in North Carolina, Trump complained that “all she wants to do is campaign ”. He then accused her of attacking Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primaries.

He added that the first lady had said that if you “can’t run your own house,” you can’t run the White House, which Trump said was aimed at the Clintons.

Obama did make that comment but she and her husband vehemently denied it referred to the Clintons and was instead about their own attempts to balance family and politics.

At the same rally Trump said the Philippine president’s shift toward closer relations with China after decades of a pro-U S foreign policy showed that “America has grown weak” and implied that Barack Obama had neglected his presidential duties as he was often campaigning for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The Republican presidential candidate said that the Philippines was a “very important strategic ally” and China and Russia “are probably going to take it ”.

In China Thursday, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said he was separating from the U S. But in Manila Friday, Duterte said he would not cut ties and it was in his country’s best interest to stay with America.

Trump also said that he would be packing his schedule with events from now until election day so that he would not have any regrets.

He said he never wanted to look back and think that if he’d only held one more rally, he could have won a state.

He said that “win lose or draw” he’ll “be happy” with himself. But he said that, if all his supporters come out to vote, he’ll win on 8 Nov ember.

Meanwhile, New York’s cardinal Timothy Dolan said there were “touching moments” between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at a charity dinner that was otherwise marked by barbed remarks by the presidential candidates.

Dolan told NBC’s Today Show Friday that at one point at the dinner, Trump leaned in and told Clinton: “You are one tough and talented woman.”

According to Dolan, Clinton responded by saying: “Whatever happens, we need to work together afterward.”

Both candidates attended the annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday. That is a white-tie gala in New York that is often the last time the two presidential nominees share a stage before election day.

At the dinner, Dolan called his seat between Trump and Clinton the “iciest place on earth”.

Clinton harked back to the dinner on Friday after Trump tweeted that he had won Wednesday night’s debate.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) The results are in on the final debate and it is almost unanimous, I WON! Thank you, these are very exciting times.

Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) Where was this kind of comedy last night? https://t.co/71JhLG55G5

Clinton appears to be displaying strength in the crucial battleground states of North Carolina and Florida among voters casting ballots before election day.

Data compiled by The Associated Press shows she may also be building an early vote advantage in Arizona and Colorado.

Trump, meanwhile, appears to be holding ground in Ohio, Iowa and Georgia. Those are important states for Trump, but not sufficient for him to win the presidency if he loses states like Florida or North Carolina.



More than 4.2 million early votes have been cast, far outpacing the rate for this period in 2012. Balloting is under way in 34 out of 37 early-voting states.

In all, more than 45 million people are expected to vote before election day.