Kamala Harris disagrees with Michelle Obama, says America is ready for a female president

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Kamala Harris disagrees with Michelle Obama, says America is ready for a female president

Obama told crowd America 'ain't ready' to elect woman after Harris lost to Trump

Madison Colombo Fox News

Published

December 9, 2025 4:18pm EST

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Michelle Obama says country 'ain't ready' for woman president

Michelle Obama says at a Nov. 5 discussion of her new book "The Look" that there's no way she's running for president, saying the country clearly "ain't ready" for a woman in the role.

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris disagrees with former first lady Michelle Obama, arguing in a new interview that the country is in fact ready to elect its first female president.

Her comments come after Obama asserted last month that the country isn’t prepared for a woman to lead.

In November, Obama told a crowd that America "ain’t ready" to elect a woman, pointing to Harris’s loss to President Donald Trump in 2024. But Harris pushed back.

"I do believe the country is ready," Harris told The New York Times when asked about the prospect of a woman president.

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on stage during her book tour event at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 29, as part of her book tour promoting "107 Days," her memoir recounting her presidential campaign against President Donald Trump. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In The New York Times interview titled "Kamala Harris Isn’t Ready to Be Written Off," Harris pointed to her book tour crowds as evidence that voters remain supportive. The Times reported that during a talk in Nashville, Harris referred to a future president as "whoever she may be," drawing loud applause from the Ryman Auditorium crowd.

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"Thousands of people are coming to hear my voice. Thousands and thousands," Harris said in the interview.

"Every place we’ve gone has been sold out," she added.

Last month, Obama argued that the country has "a lot of growing up to do" before electing a woman to the White House.

Kamala Harris and former First Lady Michelle Obama greet each other warmly on stage during a campaign rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Then-Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets former first lady Michelle Obama during a campaign rally at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Oct. 26, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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"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," Obama told a crowd at the Brooklyn Academy of Music while promoting her new book, "The Look."

"You know, 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," she added.

Obama’s comments prompted a national debate over whether gender still prevents women from winning the White House. Harris has not confirmed whether she’ll consider a 2028 presidential run. When asked in the Times interview, she declined to give a direct answer and noted that it’s years from now.

Michelle Obama speaks on stage during a live recording of her podcast with Craig Robinson at the SXSW Festival in Austin.

Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a live recording of the "IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson" podcast at the Austin Convention Center during the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival on March 13. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)

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Despite the uncertainty around her political future, Harris said she believes her place in history is already secure.

"There will be a marble bust of me in Congress. I am a historic figure like any vice president of the United States ever was," she told the Times.

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Madison is a writer for Fox News Digital on the Flash team.

Kamala Harris disagrees with Michelle Obama, says America is ready for a female president