Michelle Obama has publicly addressed the possibility of her husband, Barack Obama, returning to the White House if circumstances were to change.
During his presidency from 2009 to 2017, Barack Obama played a significant role in steering the nation through the Great Recession, concluding the Iraq War, and was pivotal in the operation that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. Following his two successful terms, Donald Trump succeeded him, eventually reclaiming the presidency in 2024 after Joe Biden.
Recently, Michelle Obama appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper, where she discussed whether Barack Obama would consider running for president again. This speculation arises amid discussions about the potential alteration of the 22nd Amendment, which currently limits a president to two terms.
During the discussion, Cooper posed the question, “The future is whatever we want it to be, so if… this is all hypothetical… if Trump does change the law and runs for a third term, hypothetically… do you think your husband would consider running?”
Michelle responded, “I hope not. I would actively work against that.”
Her statement suggests a strong belief in the need for fresh leadership and perspectives within the country’s highest office.
She elaborated, “We’re changing and growing so fast. This is a hard job, and it requires new energy, new vision all the time. New ways of looking at the world, right? So I do believe that eight years is enough. People with a new set of experiences, a new take on the world. This new generation is coming up. They travel more, they know more about the world, they’re exposed in a different way. Like, I’m really, really curious about their perspectives on how to fix some of this stuff.” She continued, “We don’t have all the answers and that’s okay. That’s why we move on.”
Speculation about former President Trump potentially challenging the 22nd Amendment persists. Last October, he hinted at the possibility of a third run, stating ‘we’ll see what happens’. In support of this idea, merchandise such as ‘Trump 2028’ hats have been released.
A recent poll explored a potential 2028 electoral contest between Obama and Trump, where Obama emerged as the favored candidate with a 52 percent confidence rating.