Former first lady Michelle Obama said the United States is moving toward a female president in an interview released Wednesday, clarifying what she meant when she said the country was not ready for a female president.
“It’s going to take time, right, so, but we’re taking action,” Obama said on the “Call Her Dad” podcast. “We are moving in that direction.”
Obama went on to say that her previous remarks were full of “humor.”
“That’s why I say, don’t watch me run, because you’re all lying. You’re not ready for women,” the former first lady said last year while promoting her new book, “The Look.”
When “Call Her Dad” host Alex Cooper asked what the country needs to do to prepare for a female president, Obama suggested that there needs to be a conversation about how people feel about a woman leading the country.
“There are men who won’t vote for a woman. You know, people have had this conversation, right. Let’s face it, let’s put it on the table and talk about what it means,” Obama said.
“Let’s not get mad that I made a statement like this. Let’s look at the fact that we have two truly qualified female candidates,” Obama added, referring to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008 and 2016) and former Vice President Kamala Harris (defeated by President Donald Trump in 2024).
Former President Barack Obama, husband of Obama who defeated Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary, gave a speech stressing that the country was ready for a “newcomer” rather than a prominent female political figure.
“You know, she was first lady, secretary of state, well-educated. My husband beat her,” Obama said. “As a new guy, people are more comfortable with him, right.”
She continued: “We have qualified women… there’s a growing shortage happening and I, you know, I’m going to say ‘Look, why can’t we talk about this. Why are we pretending this didn’t just happen.'”
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