Obama: U.S. ‘not ready’ for a female president

We've often wondered what it would take for Michelle Obama to dip her toes into mainstream politics.

Well, we finally have an answer: when America grows up!

Speaking at a promotional event for her new book, The Look, Obama claimed the U.S. is ‘not ready' for a female president, and that the country needed to ‘grow up' before she could even entertain the thought of attempting a bid for president.

“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready… That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not, so don't waste my time.”

Making History

It's no surprise to anyone that Democrats are begging Obama to step into the ring against right wing politics. Obama was the first black First Lady of the United States, a title that was always going to carry weight. The door was wide open for the American people to turn their backs on Mrs. Obama.

What happened instead? She became the most popular first lady since Rosalynn Carter, and a recent YouGov poll shows her as the second most popular American first lady of all time.

Michelle Obama captured the hearts and minds of Americans during Barack Obama's eight years as president. Obama showed herself to be one of the most family-oriented first ladies in American history, while being one of the most individually successful.

Michelle Obama holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard Law; she is one of only four first ladies to have received an advanced degree.

Presidential hopeful?

Michelle Obama was first asked about running for president in 2016, right at the end of her husband's final term in office. Her response? “I will not run for president. No, nope, not going to do it,”

She doubled down on the stance in 2017, at a Q&A at an architecture convention in Orlando, stating, “It's all well and good until you start running, and then the knives come out… I wouldn't ask my children to do this again because when you run for higher office, it's not just you. It's your whole family.”

Since 2017, Michelle Obama has been asked about her potential involvement in politics at every election cycle. In 2020, she was painted as a “dream running mate” for Joe Biden.

 In 2024, when Kamala Harris ran, Obama campaigned for her, sparking rumours of a potential partnership until Tim Walz's appointment.

Hard no from Michelle

Obama's latest comments reaffirm her views on a presidential bid, but also shed some light on her reasoning.

“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready… That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running ‘cause you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman,”

She then dropped what might be the biggest truth bomb of her speaking career, saying to Ellis Ross, “We got a lot of growing up to do and there's still … a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman and we saw it.”