WASHINGTON – Former Attorney General Eric Holder said that he thought that former first lady Michelle Obama had cheated on her signature: "When they go low, we go high."

Campaigning for the Democrats in Georgia, Holder told an audience that "when they go low, we kick them."

"Michelle [Obama] always says, "When they go down, we go high," he told the crowd. No, when they go low, they are kicked. "

The comment sparked applause, cheers and "fight" vocals from the crowd that supported Stacey Abrams for the governor of Georgia and several other Democratic candidates. He went on to say that he did not want people to kick Republicans.

"When I say we kick them, I do not mean we do something wrong, we do not do anything illegal, but we have to be tough and we have to fight." said Holder.

Mr Holder, a potential presidential candidate for 2020, said that it was the beginning of a "new Democratic Party", adding that it was time to be as "beefy" and "devoted" as the Republicans.

"That's what this new Democratic Party is about, we are proud to be Democrats," he said. "We will fight for the ideals of the Democratic Party, we are proud of our history, we are proud of our present, and we are proud of the future we can create for this country."

Michelle Obama coined this phrase in her 2016 speech to the Democratic National Convention, while Hillary Clinton was still running for president against Trump. The line has become a motto for Democrats on how to respond to Donald Trump's campaign tactics.

Holder was the last Democrat to stress the need to harden before mid-term next month, when the Liberals could take control of the House or Senate.

Clinton herself told CNN in an interview broadcast Tuesday that it was time to be "tougher" with their opponents.

"You can not be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you represent, which interests you," Clinton told Christiane Amanpour of CNN. "That's why I think if we have the chance to win back the House and the Senate, civility can start again."

More: Hillary Clinton: "You can not be civil" with Republicans, Democrats must be "harder"

Holder and Clinton's comments have become hot topics for Republicans to contend with the challenge of Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court in an attempt to portray Democratic activists as an angry "mob".

In a tweet, Republican National Committee chairman Ronna McDaniel listed comments from other Democrats, such as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., And suggested to Mr. Holder to "want the crowd still more angry ".

Allen West, a former Republican congressman, also reacted on Twitter, accusing the incumbent of "advocating a physical aggression" and describing him as a "crowd leader".

The holder did not immediately return a request for comment for USA TODAY.

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