Dem Gov Whitmer Pushes Back on Michelle Obama’s Woman President Comments [WATCH]

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she believes the United States is ready to elect a woman president, offering a different assessment than former first lady Michelle Obama, who has argued voters are not prepared for that step, as reported by Fox News.

Whitmer made the comments in an interview with NPR that was released Tuesday.

In the interview, the governor said she respects Obama and emphasized that she was not seeking to criticize her, but said recent election results point in a different direction.

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“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.”

Whitmer added that female candidates performed well in competitive races nationwide. “We saw women win up and down the ballot in hard, important states to win, so I do think there’s an appetite,” she said.

“I just, for whatever reason, we have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future.”

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The governor pointed to several Democratic victories from last year’s elections, including wins by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Gov. Mikie Sherill in New Jersey, as well as the election of Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024.

Whitmer said those results suggest voters are willing to support women in high-profile leadership roles.

Obama made her remarks in November while promoting her book, “The Look,” during an appearance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

At that event, Obama cited former Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump in the most recent presidential election as evidence that the country was not yet ready.

“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” Obama said at the time.

“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 … We’ve got a lot of growing up to do, and there’s still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it.”

When asked directly whether Harris lost the presidential race because she is a woman, Whitmer pushed back on that idea. “I don’t think it was just gender, no,” she said.

Whitmer, who is term-limited and barred from seeking a third term as governor of Michigan, said she currently has no plans to run for another office.

While she has been mentioned as a possible contender in the 2028 presidential race, the governor said her focus remains on governing Michigan and supporting Democratic candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

Discussing strategy for Democrats ahead of the midterms, Whitmer pointed to her own campaigns and their emphasis on what she described as basic governance priorities.

“I don’t think Michigan is unique in that,” Whitmer said.

“I think every person in this country wants and expects government to make their lives better, and so that’s been our formula here in Michigan, and I think that can be replicated everywhere successfully.”

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