Rumors of Barack Obama’s wife running for president and saving the Democrats from disaster have been around for years. I’m sure these stories make for clickable articles, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that she would actually do so.
But former House Speaker Newt Gingrich thinks there are signs that it could happen.
During an appearance on the Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Gingrich expressed concern that the departure of Susan Rice from the White House, which happened one day before he announced his reelection campaign, might indicate that Barack Obama’s wife could potentially run for office.
“Do you believe that Susan Rice leaves the White House the day before Biden makes this announcement is a coincidence?” Bartiromo asked Gingrich. “I mean, I feel that this is very significant. I don’t know if she’s going to be managing someone else’s campaign [or] if she’s going to run to challenge Biden. What do you think is going on here? But clearly, Democrats are divided over Biden’s re-election bid.”
“Well, I think that at a minimum, it probably is a sign that she said, ‘Don’t do it,’” Gingrich said. “And he said, ‘I’m doing it anyway.’ And I think, she just didn’t want to be a part of a Biden re-election. I was very struck when Mark Halperin and his Wide World of News ran the video of Michelle Obama onstage with Bruce Springsteen, uh, she’s playing a tambourine. She recently had nine thousand people at an event with Oprah in Los Angeles.”
Gingrich warned that “Republicans had better pay significant attention” to Michelle Obama.
“I hadn’t believed that until I saw her onstage with Bruce Springsteen. I thought, you know, this is not a person who’s hiding. So, it’s conceivable that Susan Rice and others are beginning to say they’re not gonna be part of some kamikaze reelection campaign with a guy who can’t remember what he did yesterday.”
While it’s true that Democrats don’t appear to be enthusiastic about Joe Biden running for reelection, polls have indicated that Kamala Harris and Barack Obama’s wife are their top two alternatives by a wide margin. However, this is more a reflection of the limited number of strong presidential contenders within the Democratic party, than a testament to Michelle Obama’s potential as a candidate—especially since she has repeatedly claimed she has no interest in running for president.
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“There’s zero chance,” she said back in 2019. “There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.”
Unlike politicians who typically make ambiguous statements that conveniently provide loopholes for them to change their mind in the future, Barack Obama’s wife couldn’t have been more clear and straightforward. Granted, she has no reason to have earned our trust, but what’s the point of even attempting to return to the White House? There’s a lot more financial incentive for the Obamas to remain in the private sector. They already have substantial wealth, fame, and influence. Running for president would undoubtedly disrupt their current lifestyle and result in a significant loss of privacy. Given these factors, it’s unlikely that she would see any compelling reason to pursue a presidential campaign.