Clear words from Michelle Obama: At an event on November 14th at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the former first lady stated unequivocally that the USA is far from ready for a woman at the head of state.
“As we saw in the last election, unfortunately we’re not there,” Obama said during a conversation with actress Tracee Ellis Ross. The event was to promote her new book, “The Look.” But instead of just talking about fashion and style, Obama got political – and clear.
Running for office would be a complete waste of time
“That’s why I say, don’t even look at me about running for office because you’re all lying to yourselves,” the wife of former President Barack Obama continued. “You’re not ready for a woman. You’re not.” And she followed up: “So don’t waste my time.”
The message could hardly be clearer. Obama, who was often more popular than her husband during his presidency, is drawing a line under all speculation about her own possible candidacy. A poll from 2024, when Democrats were considering not running for President Joe Biden again, showed that only Michelle Obama would be able to beat Donald Trump.
Harsh criticism of male voters
In her remarks, the former first lady blamed the attitude of many men for the problem. “We still have a lot of maturing to do, and unfortunately there are still a lot of men who feel like they can’t be led by a woman,” Obama said. “We’ve seen that. I think we still need to grow in that regard.”
Her analysis is based on recent history: two of the last three Democratic presidential candidates were women. Both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris ran against Donald Trump – and both lost. For Obama, this is not a coincidence, but a symptom of a deeper social problem.
