Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama launched a blistering attack on U.S. President Donald Trump calling him "the wrong president" for the country, and urged Americans to elect Democrat Joe Biden in November to end the chaos she said had been created during the four years of Trump's presidency.

Obama made the remarks at the first night of the four-day virtual 2020 U.S. Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday in an 18-minute impassioned address.

In the pre-taped address, the first lady criticized Trump for downplaying the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the country's shambled economy, warning that things could possibly get worse "if we don't make a change in this election."

"Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy," she said.

"He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment," Obama slammed, suggested that voting for Biden is the way to end the chaos. "… If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it." 

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Her harsh takedowns, regularly cited in polls as one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, could generate the sort of voter enthusiasm some Democrats thought a virtual convention might lack.

She attended the campaign along with a long parade of speakers including Senator Bernie Sanders and Republican John Kasich, Trump's old rival in 2016 election. They gathered online to make the case for a Biden presidency at the start of his four-day nominating convention.

In the speech, Obama also blasted Trump for trying to label demonstrators protesting African American George Floyd's death as "thugs" who present a threat to Americans' way of life and inciting racism and white supremacy.

The campaign, themed "Uniting America," began at 9 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m. ET, and was livestreamed on the DNC website and its social media handles, including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The broad coalition wants to defeat Republican President Trump in November, less than 80 days before the general election.

(With input from agencies)