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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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.
"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.
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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.
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.