Former first lady Jill Biden expressed skepticism about seeing a female president in her lifetime during a conversation on Kelly Ripa's "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast on Wednesday, August 7, 2026. When asked if she thought a woman would be president in their lifetimes, Biden replied, "So, you know, I feel like probably not in my lifetime, Kelly, but maybe in yours."

Despite her doubt, Biden said she was confident that former Vice President Kamala Harris would be the first woman president. She recalled the energy at the convention and said, "I saw the crowds. I saw, you know, at the convention. I mean, I saw all the energy and I thought, finally, we're going to have a woman president."

Biden’s remarks come amid discussions about the 2028 presidential race, where Democratic insiders consider Harris the "fairly obvious" frontrunner.

The comments have drawn criticism from some quarters. One commentator, Onwuka, described Biden's doubt as "a slap to the bench of female Democrats that have 2028 aspirations, like AOC and Gretchen Whitmer," adding, "The supposed party of women can’t even convince the former First Lady of its prospects to elect a woman at the top of the ticket."

Former first lady Michelle Obama has similarly expressed that she did not believe the U.S. was ready for a female president. However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back on Obama’s remarks, stating that the U.S. still needed to change to make that possible.

Jill Biden appeared as a guest on "The View" on June 2, 2026 (ABC via Getty Images).

Sources