Michelle Obama: 'Don't Waste My Time' Asking Me to Run

Michelle Obama doesn't think America is ready to have a woman in the White House. "Don't even look at me about running, 'cause you all are lying," the former first lady said during a conversation earlier this month with actress Tracee Ellis Ross at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, per footage shared Friday on her YouTube channel. "You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time."

Obama pointed to lingering resistance from men as a major barrier. "There's still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman. And we saw it," she said, without specifying exactly when. The Washington Post notes that Obama stumped for former VP Kamala Harris during her run against Donald Trump for president last year, at one point imploring on the campaign trail: "Fellas, before you cast your votes, ask yourselves: What side of history do you want to be on?"

Obama has long been floated as a potential presidential candidate, but she has repeatedly said she isn't interested in running. USA Today notes that, despite her reticence on the matter, a 2024 poll taken as the Democratic Party mulled swapping out President Biden for Harris (or someone else) as its nominee indicated that respondents thought Obama was the only person who could beat Trump.