CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Michelle Obama told supporters Tuesday at the Charlotte Convention Center that being president puts someone under the "hottest, harshest spotlight there is" and that Republican candidate Donald Trump isn't suited for the job.
Entering the stage to the Stevie Wonder song, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," Obama said she has been "so nostalgic campaigning." She also joked that her family is preparing for moving out of the White House.
"My husband has to get a job," she said at the rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "Someone has to hire that man."
Before an audience of 1,800, she also took a veiled shot at Trump, who questioned whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States. She criticized him throughout her speech without naming him.
"People asked whether Barack was born in this country," she said. "These questions were hurtful and deceitful, designed to undermine his presidency. They can't be blamed on others and swept under the rug with an insincere sentence at a press conference."
Obama spent much of her speech talking about what she called "the awesome responsibility of leading this country."
She said in the White House, "five advisers will give the president five different opinions," and that the "president alone has to make the final call."
She criticized Trump's penchant for writing early-morning tweets.
"A president just can't pop off or lash out irrationally," she said. "We can all agree someone who is roaming around tweeting at 3 a.m. shouldn't have fingers on nuclear codes."
Obama said the long presidential campaign, which lasts more than two years, doesn't "change who you are, it reveals who you are."
She listed some of Trump's more controversial statements, such as making fun of a reporter with a physical disability and criticizing the appearance of women. She said Trump will not change after he takes the oath of office if he wins the election.
She also said Clinton is the most experienced person ever to run for the presidency.
"When I hear people say they aren't feeling inspired in this election, I really have to disagree," Obama said. "Right now we have the opportunity to elect one of the most qualified people who has ever been president."
Obama also discussed the possibility of people voting for a third-party candidate.
"Don't play with that," she said.
She told supporters that North Carolina has been extremely close in the last two presidential elections. Barack Obama won the state by 5,000 votes in 2008, which Michelle Obama said was only two votes in each precinct.
"Do you hear that? If they had gone the other way or stayed at home, Barack would have lost the state," she said.
The first lady, who urged North Carolina residents to register to vote and cast a ballot, is highly popular. Americans viewed her more favorably than any of the other speakers at the Democratic National Convention in July, according to Gallup, with 58 percent having a favorable view of her.
She's expected to campaign for Clinton across the country over the next 5 { weeks.
A poll released Tuesday shows that Clinton has gained ground in North Carolina since last week's debate.
The Elon University Poll shows she has a 5.5-point lead over Trump, compared with a virtual tie two weeks ago.
Two other new polls conducted after last week's debate continue to show a tight presidential race in North Carolina, one of the year's most fiercely contested states.
A Quinnipiac Poll released Monday showed Clinton with 46 percent support in the state to Trump's 43 percent.
And a Bloomberg Politics N.C. Poll showed Clinton with 43 percent to Trump's 42 percent. Both polls were within the margin of error. RealClearPolitics polling average had showed Trump up by less than a percentage point in the state.
