Speculation surrounding Michelle Obama stepping in as a replacement for President Joe Biden in the upcoming election has been fervent, particularly following Biden's less-than-stellar performance in the first 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump. However, those hoping to see the former first lady in the Oval Office are likely to be disappointed.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that Michelle Obama outperformed Biden, beating Trump by an 11% margin in a hypothetical matchup. Despite this, Peter Slevin, the author of "Michelle Obama: A Life," has firmly dispelled any notions of a "Michelle 2024" campaign.
"It was eight years of an ordeal. And she asks: 'Why would I do that again and try to be in charge,'" Slevin told the Daily Mail. "She doesn't want to put herself through it for one thing, and she feels as though she's done her time in the public eye."
Slevin elaborated on the challenges Michelle faced during her husband's presidency, including enduring racist and sexist attacks and conspiracy theories questioning her sexuality. "People would say, 'Well, she's not even really a woman. She's a man,'" Slevin recounted. "They bizarrely and grotesquely questioned her sexuality."
The biographer emphasized that Michelle Obama struggled with the loss of privacy and autonomy, a common burden for any first family but particularly taxing for her. Presidential biographer David Garrow echoed Slevin’s sentiments, stating that Michelle has never shown any interest in holding elective office and was uncomfortable with her husband's political ambitions from the outset.
"She has never in her entire life had any interest in elective office, and she was consistently, deeply uncomfortable with Barack wanting to be a politician right from the early 1990s onward," Garrow said. "She could not wait for them to get out of the White House."
Michelle herself has been vocal about her lack of interest in returning to the political spotlight. In various interviews, she has expressed how the White House years prevented her and her family from living a normal life. "We can't do the ordinary things of life, you know, like go to a movie theater," she said earlier this year, per the Daily Mail. "I joked in Covid when people asked, 'When we were all in quarantine how did it feel?' and I was like well, it was kind of easy for us because we've lived in quarantine for like, you know, a decade!"
During a 2022 interview with the BBC, Michelle unequivocally stated, "No, I'm not. I'm not going to run," when asked about a potential presidential bid. She reiterated that she never had a passion for politics, unlike her husband, who was driven by it from the early stages of their relationship.
The idea of Michelle Obama as a presidential candidate has persisted in the public imagination, especially as the Democratic Party grapples with Biden's candidacy. However, her biographers and Michelle herself have made it clear that a return to the political arena is not in her plans.
As Biden faces increasing scrutiny and pressure from within his party, the question of who might be a viable alternative remains open. But for those looking to Michelle Obama as a potential candidate, the answer appears to be a definitive no.