Don’t count on former first lady Michelle Obama to ride to Democrats’ rescue.
The 60-year-old’s office closed the door hard on any potential run for the White House on Tuesday in a bid to squelch persistent speculation and wishcasting about her usurping the Democratic nomination from President Biden.
“As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” communications director Crystal Carson told NBC News.
“Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.”
Former President Barack Obama has heartily backed Biden in his expected rematch against former President Donald Trump, saying he’s “all in” for his former vice president.
Michelle Obama has previously, repeatedly ruled out a presidential bid.
“Politics is hard,” she told Oprah Winfrey during her Netflix special “The Light We Carry” last year.
“You’ve got to want it. It’s got to be in your soul because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”
Since departing the White House in 2017, Mrs. Obama has remained a beloved figure among liberals.
A Rasmussen survey from last month found that just under half of Democrats want to replace Biden atop the ticket.
Michelle Obama was the top contender to replace him, with 20% support in that poll.
She has also been outspoken with her concerns about the specter of Trump roaring back into the Oval Office.
“I’m terrified about what could possibly happen, because our leaders matter. Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit, it affects us in ways sometimes I think people take for granted,” she said on a podcast back in January.
Numerous Republicans and conservative commentators have fueled speculation that the former first lady could swoop in at the last minute, possibly by the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“I do think we are seeing the corporate media starting to turn on Joe Biden,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on his “Verdict” podcast last month.
“I believe there is a very significant chance the Democrat Party would pull the cord on Joe Biden, yank him out and replace him with Michelle Obama.”
Trump himself has publicly sowed doubt about whether Biden will actually be the Democrats’ standard bearer come November.
Others, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have posited that California Gov. Gavin Newsom may replace Biden at the top of the ticket.
Newsom has ruled out a run and heartily endorsed Biden.
Speculation about Biden’s grip on the party nod has swirled in part due to angst about his age.
At 81, he is already the oldest president in US history and would be 86 at the end of a full second term.
