Stephen A. Smith recently took issue with Michelle Obama’s assertion that the United States needs to mature before it can elect a female president. The former first lady made these remarks in Brooklyn, attributing a significant part of the issue to men who, she suggested, are reluctant to be led by a woman.

During his SiriusXM show, the outspoken ESPN commentator challenged Obama’s statement. He questioned the ramifications if men were to make a similar broad generalization about women, implying that such a statement would likely provoke a strong backlash.

Smith argued against Obama’s viewpoint by highlighting the recent political successes of female candidates. He noted that Democrats had fielded women for the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, with Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger both securing decisive victories.

Furthermore, Smith brought up the 2016 presidential election, pointing out that Hillary Clinton, despite losing the electoral college, garnered more popular votes than Donald Trump. This, he suggested, indicates that many Americans are indeed open to the idea of female leadership.

Smith also pointed out that Hillary Clinton technically got more votes than Donald Trump in 2016, despite losing the electoral college.  

‘What do you mean we weren’t ready? What do you mean we weren’t ready?’ he said. 

‘Weren’t there white women who voted for Donald Trump? Not just white men. Didn’t the blacks show up for Hillary Rodham Clinton? Didn’t Hispanics show up for Hillary Rodham Clinton?’

After blaming Clinton for campaigning poorly in swing states that year, Smith then turned to Kamala Harris’ run in 2024, which he said couldn’t have been decided by sexism.   

He asked: ‘How about 2024 when Kamala Harris was running as the Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of America? Yes, she did only have 107 days to do it. But whose fault was that?’ 

Stephen A. Smith criticized Michelle Obama for claiming that America has ‘a lot of growing up to do’ before it could elect a woman as president

Smith was responding to the former first lady’s comments in Brooklyn earlier this month, blaming men for not wanting ‘to be led by a woman’

Smith then blamed Democrats for holding on ‘to Joe Biden for dear life until July of that summer when there was evidence that showed months earlier that he wasn’t ready anymore.’ 

He slammed Harris for being ‘hesitant to do interviews, hesitant to answer questions and you were hesitant to separate yourself from the Biden administration in terms of some of the decisions that they made.’

The sports commentator wanted to make it clear he was merely criticizing the former first lady on this issue and suggested she herself could be the first woman president.

‘You are not just beloved, you are revered, you are sensational in so many ways. I’ve been on the record on this show and many others stating: “Had you run for president, you would have beat Trump.” I still believe that.’

Smith thinks she would ‘easily’ beat fellow Democrats like Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro and Gavin Newsom in a primary and JD Vance in a general election.

‘So if Michelle Obama is really really serious about what she’s saying, she’s also arguably seriously false because I believe she cakewalked to the Democratic nomination and I believe she could win it all,’ he said. 

He added that she ‘can’t knock it’ if she doesn’t want the presidency herself. 

‘Run, Michelle, run. But if you don’t, could you please stop blaming us?’

The sports commentator wanted to make it clear he was merely criticizing the former first lady on this issue and suggested she herself could be the first woman president

Smith thinks she would ‘easily’ beat fellow Democrats like Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro and Gavin Newsom in a primary and JD Vance (pictured left) in a general election

The ex-first lady has said that Americans, particularly men, are still not ready to elect a woman a president.

She also doesn’t believe she would be able to overcome this so-called bias among voters if she were to mount a White House run.

‘That’s why I’m like, “Don’t even look at me about running, because cause you all are lying,”‘ she said. ‘You’re not ready for a woman. You are not. So don’t waste my time.’

During a live sit-down on November 5 to discuss her new book, ‘The Look’, with actress Tracee Ellis Ross, the former first lady said ‘as we saw in this past election, sadly we ain’t ready’.

She was referring to Donald Trump defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris last November in quite resounding fashion.

Unlike his win over Hillary Clinton in 2016 — when he lost the popular vote but won the electoral college — Trump got nearly 2.3 million more votes than Harris in the 2024 election.

Michelle, 61, addressed the audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with disappointment over what she believes is the prevailing attitude among some in the country.

‘We got a lot of growing up to do, and there are still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it.’

Michelle Obama has said that Americans are not ready to elect a woman president, implying there is still widespread sexism among men

The former first lady, 61, has been repeatedly asked to run for president for well over a decade but she has resisted those calls, citing her then teenage daughters as an excuse in March 2016

Michelle has been talked about as a worthy presidential contender among liberals as far back as 2012, when her husband was in the middle of his eight years as the commander in chief.

Despite her fans in the Democratic party trying to recruit her to run every time primary season rolls around, she has consistently made it clear that she won’t heed the call.

She appeared on the TODAY Show in October 2018 and told anchor Savannah Guthrie that has never wanted to be a politician.

‘Nothing has changed in me. I want to serve. … There are so many ways to make an impact. Politics is not my thing. It’s as simple as that,’ she said.

Less than a year before Obama left office, in March 2016, she said during South by Southwest that she ‘will not run for president’ because of her then teenage daughters, who are now in their twenties.

Obama himself said in an October 2016 radio interview that his wife ‘will never run for office’.

‘She is as talented and brilliant a person as there is, and I could not be prouder of her, but Michelle does not have the patience or the inclination to actually be a candidate herself,’ he said. ‘That’s one thing y’all can take to the bank.’

Michelle’s followers hoped she had changed her mind after delivering several highly-rated speeches attacking Trump while campaigning for Harris last year.

Michelle’s comments come after Donald Trump has now racked up two wins against prominent Democratic women, the first being Hillary Clinton in 2016

He then defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. And unlike his win over Clinton in 2016 — when he lost the popular vote but won the electoral college — Trump got nearly 2.3 million more votes than Harris

It appears she is just as steadfast now in her detestation of politics as she was several years ago.

Public polling does indicate that there does remain a significant barrier to women winning the highest office in the land.

Ahead of the 2024 election, American University released a poll that found that four in 10 Americans know someone who would not vote for a woman to become president.

‘A notable “youth paradox” exists, where younger voters, while generally supportive of women in office, are actually the least open to electing a female president,’ the poll’s authors wrote.