Podcaster Joe Rogan recently suggested that Michelle Obama could be elected president in 2024, adding his voice to long-running speculation about the former first lady's future.
Obama, who is married to former President Barack Obama, has often been talked about as a potential presidential candidate, but she has never publicly expressed an interest in running.
Rogan told listeners of the Joe Rogan Experience on Christmas Eve: "I really believe if Michelle Obama runs, she wins." But there is as yet no indication that she wants to return to the White House.
"She's great, she's intelligent, she's articulate, she's the wife of the best president that we have had in our lifetime in terms of like a representative of intelligent articulate people," Rogan said, according to TheWrap.
That view is certainly shared by Michelle Obama's admirers and many Americans, as the former first lady has been voted the most admired woman in the U.S. three years in a row.
A YouGov poll published on December 14 surveyed 42,000 people in 38 countries and found that Michelle Obama topped the list of most admired women yet again. 71 percent of respondents said they admired her the most.
Similarly, a Gallup poll conducted among Americans from December 1 to 17, 2020, found that Michelle Obama was the most admired woman, receiving 10 percent of Americans' votes. Vice President Kamala Harris came second with 6 percent—she had not yet become vice president at that time.
That was also the third year in a row that Michelle Obama had topped the Gallup poll of most admired women, but polling on the specific question of her running for office is limited.
The former first lady has never held public office or expressed a desire to run, and that may account for why there is little polling on the possibility of her running for president.
However, a Hill-HarrisX poll conducted from November 18 to 19 showed that Michelle Obama would be a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination if President Joe Biden does not seek reelection.
That poll found Michelle Obama enjoyed 10 percent support among respondents, losing out to Harris's 13 percent but still significantly ahead of other contenders such Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
Bookmaker Betfair, which operates the world's largest online betting exchange, gives Michelle Obama 25/1 odds of becoming the next president. These are the same odds Betfair is offering for former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Betfair gives Harris better odds at 5/1 and Biden at 4/1, although Michelle Obama does enjoy slightly better odds than Sanders, who stands at 33/1. Warren's odds are 35/1.
President Biden has said he intends to run for another term in 2024, but if that situation changes for any reason, Michelle Obama could be a strong contender, and her name could start appearing in presidential polling more regularly.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
