Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Monday night that there’s good reason to believe former First Lady Michelle Obama could enter the crowded Democratic presidential race.
Speaking of the growing list of Democrats seeking their party’s nod, Carlson said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “If you are wondering who the democratic nominee will be, don’t bet against Michelle Obama.”
He noted that just because a potential candidate assures voters that they have no desire to be president, such a proclamation can be a ruse while political allies prepare the campaign ground. “For example, David Axelrod who is one of the Obama’s closest and most loyal advisors has been raising a scorched Earth campaign against Joe Biden for months. He has called [Biden] a liar, a coward, all but accused him of having dementia. Would David Axelrod being doing all of that without the consent of the Obamas? No,” said Carlson. (RELATED: Michelle Obama Claims ‘White Folks’ Are Still Fleeing Minorities)
The Fox News host played a segment from a recent episode of “60 Minutes” where Biden suggested he wasn’t seeking the former president’s endorsement and that he needs to achieve the nomination on his own. In the same interview the former vice president suggested “it helps” his campaign when President Donald Trump attacks him.
“That’s pathetic,” Carlson said. “Don’t want to pile on. Sad to watch. If Obama had endorsed Joe Biden the race would be over. Biden would in effect be the nominee already. Obama hasn’t endorsed Joe Biden because he doesn’t want to endorse Joe Biden.” (RELATED: Michael Moore Wants Michelle Obama To Run In 2020)
Carlson observed that Barack Obama has delayed the release of his presidential memoirs “until the middle of the Democratic primaries … Coincidence?” he asked.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“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. Maybe she really isn’t interested in joining the race but that would make her unusual among Democrats in this country,” Carlson noted, adding that a “mediocre mayor [Pete Buttigieg] of a small, crime-ridden town in Indiana may actually win the Iowa caucuses.”
That leaves an opening for Michelle Obama, Carlson argued. “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.”
Carlson also said the former First Lady also has a quality that is absolutely essential in politics: popularity. “Could she win a general election? Let’s see. A poll earlier this year found that Michelle Obama was the most admired woman in the world.”