Michelle Obama reveals a problem that could decide the US election

“We don't expect anything from Trump”: Michelle Obama is upset about the double standards in the American election campaign. Two experts explain why it's true.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has already interfered in the US elections at a campaign event in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Obama not only spoke about women's rights in the United States, but also criticized the “double standards” by which the US media judges Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. “We expect Kamala to be smart, eloquent and disciplined,” Obama said on October 26.

“We do not expect anything from Trump. No understanding of politics, no ability to argue, no honesty, no moral integrity. Many may dismiss his behavior with the words: 'Trump is just Trump' or even find the Republican 'funny', while what he does is always questioned.” If Harris is truly up to the role of US president, she asks, “Why do we hold Kamala to a higher standard?”

Why is Harris being questioned more than Trump in the US elections?

Communications scientist Klaus Kamps has an answer to this question. “Because the bar with Donald Trump is so low that there is no longer any reason to question it,” he says. BuzzFeed News Germany from IPPEN.MEDIA. He is a professor at Stuttgart University of Media (HdM) and wrote a book about the media system in the United States of America in 2023.

Because the levels between Harris and Trump differed greatly, “double standards are inevitable.” Harris is “necessarily more difficult” because many US media outlets see Trump as “just a villain” and do not want to hold his low standards to a Democratic politician like Harris. “They risk being overly critical of Kamala Harris,” he says, while ignoring Trump's “strange and troubling” moments.

Michelle Obama sums it up well with the phrase “Trump is Trump”: What the Republican does is “very difficult.” From the perspective of democratic theory, Trump and his outlandish claims are no longer taken seriously. “Trump can do whatever he wants and he knows it,” the media expert says.

“In 2016, he said he could kill anyone on Fifth Avenue and still get elected. “Maybe this is an exaggerated image, but after the past eight years, we know that he can do whatever he wants without fear of public opinion.”

There's another reason for the double standards between Harris and Trump

Caroline Licht, an expert on gender, media and politics with a focus on US elections at the University of Glasgow, points to another reason for this double standard. “Unfortunately, in many cases, women still have to measure themselves by very different standards than men,” she says. BuzzFeed News Germany. The reason for this is that political leadership roles in the United States are still mostly associated with “stereotypical masculine traits.”

Harris, as a black woman, is inferior here from the beginning, because when the Democrat tries to live up to this masculine role, criticisms arise that she is “not feminine enough,” for example because she has no biological children. A similar accusation was made against Angela Merkel at the time. This type of “double standard theory” is also referred to as “gender double-binding,” Licht says. This phenomenon is not limited to the United States of America, but there has never been a woman in the highest political position there.

“This double standard is one of the biggest problems in current reporting on US elections,” says Licht. “It can have serious consequences on the outcome of the election.” When Hillary Clinton ran for re-election in 2016, the “glass ceiling” theory emerged, which was not It can only be broken once to create long-lasting change in American politics and in people's minds, Licht said. “Once a woman becomes president, the next woman running for office may no longer be subject to such double standards,” Licht said.