(Headline USA) Former first lady Michelle Obama ruled out a 2024 presidential bid this week, shooting down months of speculation that she might seek to replace President Joe Biden during or after the Democratic National Convention in August.
“As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” Crystal Carson, director of communications for Obama’s office, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.”
Obama has been considered a favorite potential candidate in Democratic circles given her popularity, but she’s been outspoken about her lack of interest in running for office.
Ahead of the 2020 election, for example, Obama likewise shot down rumors about her aspirations, saying, “I’ve never had the passion for politics. I just happened to be married to somebody who has the passion for politics, and he drug me kicking and screaming into the arena.”
However, Obama has become more publicly involved with Democratic politics over the past year, warning voters about the chances of former President Donald Trump once again winning office.
“What’s going to happen in this next election?” Obama said on the podcast On Purpose in January.
“I’m terrified about what could possibly happen because our leaders matter,” she continued. “Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit, it affects us in ways sometimes I think people take for granted.”
But sources familiar with Michelle Obama’s thinking said she and former President Barack Obama plan only to assist Biden’s campaign this fall.
A senior adviser for the Biden campaign told NBC News they planned to lean on her heavily later in the campaign in an effort to win over swing voters.
“President and Michelle Obama were enormously helpful in the fight to beat Donald Trump and elect President Biden and Vice President Harris the first time and we are grateful to have their voice and their support in the fight for the fate of our democracy this November,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement.
