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Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she believes America is ready for a woman president, pushing back on recent comments by former first lady Michelle Obama, who said U.S. voters were not ready to elect a woman to teh White House.
In an interview wiht NPR released on Tuesday, Whitmer said she has “love” for the former first lady adn “the last thing I want to do is disagree with her,” but that she has a different outlook.
“I think America is ready for a woman president,” Whitmer said. “The question comes down to a choice between two people, and what we saw in this last election, while Kamala Harris didn’t beat President Trump, we saw women get elected across the country.”
“We saw women win up and down the ballot in hard, important states to win, so I do think there’s an appetite,” she added. “I just, for whatever reason, we have not had a woman president yet.I think we will at some point in the near future.”
MICHELLE OBAMA SAYS AMERICA ‘NOT READY’ FOR WOMAN PRESIDENT: ‘WE SAW IN THIS PAST ELECTION’
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Former First lady Michelle obama stated on January 19, 2026, that she believes the United States is currently unprepared to elect a woman as president. Her comments came during a conversation with Governor Gretchen Whitmer at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia.
Context of Obama’s Remarks
Obama explicitly dismissed the possibility of her own presidential run, asserting that public sentiment isn’t genuinely supportive of a female leader. She indicated a perceived resistance among some men to being led by a woman, referencing observations from past elections. According to a report by The Washington Post, Obama said, “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.”
whitmer’s Response and Political Implications
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who participated in the discussion, offered a nuanced perspective. While acknowledging potential gender bias, she suggested that other factors also contributed to Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Whitmer stated, “I don’t think it was just gender, no.” Whitmer is term-limited as governor and cannot run for a third term, and currently has no plans to run for another office.
Ancient Precedent and Gender in U.S. Politics
Kamala Harris became the first female Vice President of the United States in 2021. However, despite this milestone, no woman has yet been elected President. A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that 48% of Americans believe a woman is as capable as a man of being president, while 52% believe men are better suited for the role. This data suggests a persistent, though narrowing, gender gap in perceptions of leadership capability. pew Research Center – Women in Leadership
Former first lady michelle Obama said Americans are “not ready” to elect a woman to the White House. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
