Stephen A. Smith is contesting former First Lady Michelle Obama’s assertion that Americans are “not ready” to elect a woman as president. During a recent episode of “Straight Shooter,” Smith pointed to several women in leadership positions, such as New Jersey’s newly elected Governor Mikie Sherrill and Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger, as proof that voters are open to female candidates. He also mentioned New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s victory and Hillary Clinton’s popular vote win in the 2016 presidential election.
Smith questioned, “We just saw New Jersey’s female governor win, right? And how about Abigail Spanberger? Isn’t Kathy Hochul the governor of New York? Am I missing something?” He further highlighted, “Let’s remember Hillary Clinton and her 2.9 million vote lead over Donald Trump in 2016. What does it mean, ‘you weren’t ready’?”
On the issue of Kamala Harris, who ran for president in 2024 but did not succeed, Smith suggested that her failure was more about party dynamics than public readiness to vote for a woman. “What was the situation in 2024 with her running? Yes, she had only a short time left, but who was keeping Joe Biden in the race until the last minute?” he speculated.
Smith pointed out that Harris received the most votes for a Democratic candidate in history, though he acknowledged that she is still behind Biden’s overall count. “Over 74 million people voted for her, including me,” he said.
He also reiterated his earlier comments about Michelle Obama, expressing belief that she would have won against Trump if she had chosen to run in 2024.
Michelle Obama, in her remarks, had stated that she feels Americans are still not prepared to elect a woman to the Oval Office, a point she made while promoting her new book at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She commented, “As we saw last election, unfortunately, it’s not ready yet.” She added that she believes many men are uncomfortable with the idea of being led by women.
