- The former first lady retains star power in Democratic politics despite largely removing herself from the political stage in recent years
- “As former First Lady Michelle Obama has indicated several times over the years, she will not run for president,” her office said
Michelle Obama has ruled herself out as a presidential candidate, putting to bed speculation that she would step in at the last minute to offer Democrats an alternative to an aging Joe Biden.
The former first lady retains star power in Democratic politics despite largely removing herself from the political stage in recent years.
“As former First Lady Michelle Obama has said several times over the years, she will not run for president,” said Crystal Carson, her office’s director of communications. NBC News.
‘Mrs. Obama is supporting the re-election campaign of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Michelle Obama has ruled herself out as a presidential candidate and curbed speculation that she would step in at the last minute to offer Democrats an alternative to an aging Joe Biden.
The former first lady retains star power in Democratic politics despite largely removing herself from the political stage in recent years
“As former First Lady Michelle Obama has said several times over the years, she will not run for president,” Crystal Carson, her office’s director of communications, told NBC News.
A recent Rasmussen survey found that nearly 50 percent of Democrats support replacing Biden as the front-runner, and of those, more Democrats would like to see Michelle Obama (20 percent) than Vice President Kamala Harris (15 percent).
But the 60-year-old has said several times she is not interested in running for office and has admitted she is “terrified” about the outcome of this year’s election.
‘What will happen in the next elections? I’m terrified of what could happen, because our leaders matter. Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds the bully pulpit, it affects us in ways that I think people take for granted,” Obama told Jay Shetty on his “On Purpose” podcast in January .
Last year, Obama explained to Oprah why she would not run for office.
“Politics is hard,” she said in a Netflix special. ‘And the people who participate in it… you have to want it. It has to be in your soul because it is so important. It’s not in my soul.’
In a 2022 BBC interview, she said she hates questions about running for president.
But NBC reports the former first lady was upset when Jill Biden ruled her out as her husband’s running mate on the 2020 campaign trail.
When asked by CNN if Obama was an option, Jill Biden laughed and said, “You know, I would love it if Michelle agreed. But I… you know, I think she’s had enough of politics. Don’t know. She is so good at everything she does. That would – that would be great.”
When asked by CNN if Obama was an option, Jill Biden laughed and said, “You know, I would love it if Michelle agreed. But I… you know, I think she’s had enough of politics. Don’t know. She is so good at everything she does. That would… that would be great.”
Two sources said Obama wasn’t happy with that answer and wanted Biden to have another answer ready that wouldn’t close the door if she was asked the question again.
Speculation about a replacement for Joe Biden reached a fever pitch last month when special counsel Robert Hur released a report on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents that called him “elderly” and “forgetful” and therefore unfit to face charges in the case.