Michelle Obama Says U.S. Is Moving Toward Woman President

LEAD: Former first lady Michelle Obama said in an interview released Wednesday on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that the country is moving toward having a woman president, telling host Alex Cooper, "It takes time, right, so, but we're moving," according to the podcast transcript.

CONTEXT: Obama clarified an earlier November remark that "the country is not ready" for a woman president by saying that her comment included "humor" and that she made the line to deter calls for her to run while promoting her book The Look, according to her media appearances and the podcast.

RESPONSE: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer publicly rejected Obama's assessment, telling NPR that she believes America is ready for a woman president, and several Democratic women disputed Obama's timing and emphasis, according to recorded interviews and statements.

SCALE: Only two women—Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris—have won a major party's presidential nomination, and both lost their general-election bids (Clinton in 2016 to Donald Trump; Harris in 2024 to Donald Trump), and 14 states are currently led by female governors, including four Republicans and 10 Democrats, according to election records and state rosters.

FORWARD: Obama said she is not interested in running and framed her comments as part of a media tour for her book The Look while adding she would "actively work against" any hypothetical effort by former President Barack Obama to run again, and advocates and strategists called for conversations about sexism in candidate evaluations, according to the podcast and follow-up interviews.