Sarah Harvard – Independent
The former first lady discussed her newly published memoir Becoming with television host Jimmy Kimmel in his eponymous show on Thursday night when he asked her about people goading her to pursue a political career.
“I know you said – repeatedly – you will not run for office,” Mr Kimmel said, “but has anyone ever really, like, seriously approached you and tried to convince you to run for office?
“All the time,” Ms Obama responded, which prompted a round of applause from the audience.
Mr Kimmel specified that he meant if any major political figure – like her husband Barack Obama or 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – attempted to talk her into it.
The first lady said Mr Obama, the former US president, has been able to prevent influential politicos from approaching and persuading her to run.
“Barack keeps those people away from me,” Ms Obama added. “No, I haven’t had any serious conversations with anyone about it because it’s not something that I’m interested in or would ever do. Ever.”
David Axelrod, Mr Obama’s former chief strategist, even confirmed to Politico that there is a very low likelihood of the Chicago native ever running for office. “I think I have as much of a chance of dancing in the Bolshoi Ballet in 2020 as the likelihood of her running for office,” Mr Axelrod said.
And in case there’s an ounce of hope that Ms Obama might change her mind, the former first lady seems pretty darn clear in when writing her memoir, stating “I’ll say it here directly: I have no intention of running for office, ever.”
