The former FLOTUS took to Twitter to defend the teenage activist from Sweden who received backlash after Time magazine named her Person of the Year 2019, an accolade condemned by President Trump who called it “ridiculous”. Mrs Obama said: “@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.”
Earlier this morning President Trump took to social media to blast Time for awarding the prize to Miss Thunberg, 16.
In a typically outspoken post he told the teenager to work on her anger management in a reference to her scolding look of rage at the Republican when he overshadowed her UN speech.
He said: “So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”
Miss Thunberg was announced as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2019 earlier this week, making her the youngest-ever recipient of the award.
The teen won the title for her work around climate change awareness.
Many who heard the news of Greta’s achievement were quick to condemn Time’s choice, quickly taking to Twitter to vent their outrage.
One irate Twitter user wrote: “She basically does nothing except for her exaggerated emotion towards climate change.
“She offers no practical solutions for the governments on how to save the Earth. Why is she the person of the year?”
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Another social media user posted: “What exactly did she do again that earned her person of the year?”
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro branded Ms Thunberg as a “brat” after she condemned the slaughter of indigenous environmental protectors in the Amazon.
Some frustrated Twitter users pointed of the hypocrisy of the magazine’s award.
One said on Twitter: “Wonder what the carbon footprint to turn out that issue is?”
A second added: “How many trees are killed by Time to print about the Person of the Year? Just saying.”
Miss Thunberg previously told the BBC: “It felt like I was the only one who cared about the climate and the ecological crisis.”
Her school strike went on to inspire millions of young people around the world to take to the streets and also demand action on climate change.
Speaking about why Greta was chose, TIME editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal said: “Meaningful change rarely happens without the galvanizing force of influential individuals, and in 2019, the earth’s existential crisis found one in Greta Thunberg.