Michelle will never run for White House, says President Barack Obama

Mrs Michelle Obama speaking during an election eve rally in Philadelphia for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Nov 7, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - For anyone who might like to see Mrs Michelle Obama run for president as a Democrat, it's time to rein in that early enthusiasm. Or so says her husband, President Barack Obama.

"Michelle will never run for office," Mr Obama said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine done the day after Mr Donald Trump's surprise win, and amid some social media swirl urging the First Lady to consider throwing her hat in the ring.

"She is as talented a person as I know. You can see the incredible resonance she has with the American people. But I joke that she's too sensible to want to be in politics," he said.

Mrs Obama's confidence and style struck a strong chord on the campaign trail, where she supported Mrs Hillary Clinton. The First Lady slammed Mr Trump's attitude towards and treatment of women.

Mrs Obama, who will be 53 when she leaves the White House, is the first black First Lady in American history. Her husband is 55.

A Harvard-educated lawyer, she will leave the White House on Jan 20 enjoying sky-high ratings - approved by 79 per cent of the American public, according to a recent Gallup survey. That makes her more popular than her husband, the first African American president of the United States.

Asked about her ambitions in the past, Mrs Obama has repeatedly said that she would not follow in the footsteps of Mrs Clinton, who ran for the presidency her husband Bill held from 1993-2001.

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