Former US First Lady Michelle Obama has said America still isn’t ready for a woman in the Oval Office, arguing that many men across the country don’t want to be led by a female president.
Obama — who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in her failed 2024 White House bid against President Trump — made the remarks while promoting her new book, “The Look,” during an event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
“As we saw in the past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” the 61-year-old told actor Tracee Ellis Ross, who moderated the discussion, in a video later posted on Obama’s YouTube page.
“That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not.”
The mother of two has faced constant speculation about running for president but has consistently said she has no desire to seek the Oval Office.
When Ross asked whether her time in the White House helped open the door for a future female president, Obama insisted the opposite — saying many men are simply not ready.
“You know, we’ve got a lot of growing up to do. There are still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it,” she said.
Obama, who served as First Lady from 2009 to 2017, also urged voters last year to support Harris, warning that Trump posed a threat to the country.
