Michelle Obama says she’s done with politics, shooting down the possibility of ever giving a stump speech or hitting the campaign trail for a candidate.
“I am not going to be in politics,” the former first lady said on NPR’s “Wild Card with Rachel Martin,” released Thursday.
“I’m not giving another political speech. I’m not campaigning for another candidate,” Obama continued.
“But I’m here,” she said, when asked if her “IMO” podcast — which she launched with her brother, Craig Robinson, in March — was “a way of making peace” with her “place in the world.”
“Just being able to still have a platform to give voice to people, to let people know we’re still here,” she said.
Obama delivered remarks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and campaigned for former Vice President Kamala Harris in several battleground states.
The “Becoming” author has put the kibosh on talk of her political bid before, saying in 2019 there was “zero chance” she would run for president.
After her name was floated as a potential 2024 White House hopeful and touted by commentators as the “best chance” for Democrats to win, her office told ITK in a statement that she would “not be running for president.”
Asked during the NPR interview if she ever considered living a “super private life and curling up,” Obama replied, “Yeah, and I get that more than I ever have gotten it ever before.”
“I’m 60, but I’m still just 60. And I still feel like I can’t stop yet. I’m ready to slow down a bit, but not stop,” she said.
“And that time will come, but it’s probably too soon. So finding creative ways to stay engaged that is still useful, and is authentic to my nature, which is advice giving and talking,” she said, “I think is a good balance to strike.”
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