Trump would beat Michelle Obama in hypothetical presidential matchup, poll shows

Former President Donald Trump would beat former First Lady Michelle Obama if she entered the presidential race as a Democrat, a poll shows.

A poll conducted by DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners revealed that Mrs. Obama would lose to Mr. Trump by three points in a hypothetical match-up. 

In a poll of 1,000 likely voters, Mr. Trump receives 47% of the support, while Mrs. Obama grabs 44%. 

President Biden is also losing to Mr. Trump by three points in the same poll. Some Democrats have hoped that Mrs. Obama would replace the 81-year-old president on the party’s ticket, although she has ruled out a run.

“Some have been touting an emergency parachute for Biden for some time: draft Michelle Obama,” pollster James Johnson, cofounder of J.L. Partners told Daily Mail.

“But it turns out voters are no more keen to vote for Michelle over Trump than they are for Biden, with Trump beating her overall and even with independents,” he said. “It was never very realistic, but this poll [puts an end to] the idea she can be any kind of saving force for the Democrats.”

For months there was talk over the former first lady jumping into the race to replace Mr. Biden, the nation’s oldest president.

Last month, the office of Mrs. Obama, 60, put the rumors to bed.

“As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” Crystal Carson, the director of communications for Mrs. Obama’s office, told NBC News.

“Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ reelection campaign,” she said.

She previously rejected the idea of setting foot in the White House again.

During her Netflix special last year, she told Oprah Winfrey that “politics is hard.”

“You’ve got to want it,” Mrs. Obama said. “It’s got to be in your soul because it is so important. It’s not in my soul.”

She told the outlet The National in 2019 that there was “zero chance” she would run for president.

“There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me,” she said at the time.

In 2022, she told the BBC in an interview that she “detests” being asked about a possible presidential run.

The poll was conducted from March 20-24 by landline, cellphone, SMS and apps. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 points.