Michelle Obama says the U.S. is ‘not ready’ for a woman president

Former first lady Michelle Obama said Friday in a conversation posted on her YouTube page that the country is not ready for a female president, adding that the United States has “a lot of growing up to do.”

“As we saw in the last election, unfortunately, we are not ready,” Obama said. “That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you’re all lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You’re not.”

President Donald Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

Obama’s comment came during a Nov. 5 conversation at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for his podcast. The discussion took place between the former first lady and actor Tracee Ellis Ross, during which they discussed Obama’s new book, “The Look.”

Ross asked Obama if she thought the role of first lady, serving as an archetype of “woman and womanhood,” had affected “the room that we have left for a woman to become president.”

“You know, we have a lot of growing up to do, and there are still, unfortunately, a lot of men who don’t feel like they can be led by a woman, and we’ve seen that,” Obama continued.

Obama leaned toward Harris on the campaign trail in 2024, drawing large crowds to campaign events, advocating for women’s health care and imploring men to vote for Harris.

The former first lady has faced speculation and calls to run for president, but has repeatedly said she does not want to run for the Oval Office.