Without naming any political figure, Obama delivered a pointed rebuke of the nativist rhetoric that dominated the 2016 presidential campaign. She drew from her experience as First Lady traveling to dozens of countries, where she had 'seen what happens when ideas like these take hold' — leaders who 'demonize and dehumanize entire groups of people often do so because they have nothing else to offer.' The speech was carefully calibrated: she affirmed American exceptionalism while insisting that the source of that exceptionalism was diversity itself, not homogeneity. 'Here in America, we don't give in to our fears. We don't build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere.' She listed inventions and landmarks created by immigrants — Google, eBay, the artificial heart, the telephone, blue jeans, 'God Bless America,' the Brooklyn Bridge, and the White House itself.