Tucker Carlson is not convinced Michelle Obama has ruled out running for the White House in 2020.
The conservative commentator speculated on his Fox News show Monday that former President Barack Obama has refrained from endorsing any Democrat currently in the race so he can support his wife’s potential candidacy.
“If you’re wondering who the Democratic nominee will be, don’t bet against Michelle Obama,” the “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host said during his cable show’s latest broadcast.
“Last week, the former first lady issued a statement saying that she has no interest in being president,” Mr. Carlson said. “That’s what she claimed. But there are signs that that’s not true, actually.”
Mr. Carlson subsequently theorized that factors such as Mr. Obama not yet endorsing any of the more than dozen candidates currently seeking the Democratic nomination — including his former vice president, Joseph R. Biden — as a reason to believe his wife might enter the race.
“If Obama had endorsed Joe Biden, the race would be over,” Mr. Carlson said. “Obama hasn’t endorsed Joe Biden because he doesn’t want to endorse Joe Biden. Why? Maybe he’s got other plans.
“Obama’s presidential memoir was supposed to come out this year,” he said. “Now, its release has been delayed until the middle of the Democratic primaries. In other words, at exactly the moment when Democrats will be thinking deeply about how to beat Trump, America will be talking about the Obamas. Coincidence? Maybe it is. Maybe it’s also a coincidence that Michelle Obama just released yet another book last week, one that will require her, of course, to get on the road and talk to crowds.”
Indeed, Mrs. Obama used one of those recent public appearances to reiterate her lack of interest in joining the crowded pool of Democratic candidates.
“No, no, no,” she told “Good Morning America” when asked about running during an interview aired Nov. 12.
The Fox News host reasoned Monday that the former first lady would make an appealing candidate among Democrats, however.
“The Democratic Party is ripping itself apart over race and gender and class. Michelle Obama, let’s be honest, is one of the only people who could unite the party’s warring factions,” Mr. Carlson said.
Mr. Biden is currently among front-runners seeking the Democratic nomination, placing him alongside fellow contenders Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, and Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent.
Appearing early Tuesday on Fox News to discuss Mr. Carlson’s prediction about Mrs. Obama potentially running for president in 2020, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Michael Black said “it’s not going to happen.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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