Whitmer Says U.S. Is Ready to Elect a Woman President, Responding to Michelle Obama

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the United States is ready to elect a woman president. She was pushing back on remarks Michelle Obama made in 2025 that voters were not ready. Asked directly whether a woman could be the best choice to beat a potential Republican nominee in 2028, Whitmer said she believed so. She said she would put her money on any Democratic governor against Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two Republicans widely expected to run. She added that she has heard people tell her prospective candidates cannot be this person or that person. In 2025, after the previous election, Obama had said Americans were "not ready" for a woman and told people not to look at her about running. Several women, including Whitmer and former Vice President Kamala Harris, are widely speculated to be potential 2028 Democratic candidates. Whitmer did not deny she is exploring a run. She said she will take some time off when she leaves office as governor in January, then decide what to do next, and had nothing new to share.

Right-leaning outlets tracked by Crosswire had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. Those covering it focus on Whitmer's rebuttal of Obama and on 2028 speculation. On the left, NBC News, whose program hosted the interview, leads with Whitmer's claim that America is ready for a woman. It features her bet on Democratic governors against Vance or Rubio, quotes Obama's 2025 remarks at length, and notes the speculation about Harris and Whitmer's non-denial of a run. The Hill, in the alternative group, largely matches this. Its headline and excerpt frame the story as Whitmer pushing back on Obama and quote the same opening remark about colleagues interested in running. Because no right-leaning coverage exists yet, there is no point of comparison with that side.