Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser under the Obama administration, said there is “no chance” former First Lady Michelle Obama would be presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate.
Biden, a former vice president, has insisted that he would choose a woman as his running mate.
Jarrett, however, said any recent speculation that Obama would be Biden’s vice president is not based on reality.
There have been reports suggesting that former 2020 candidates such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) could be tapped to be Biden’s running mate. Other prospective candidates include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who has been especially vocal about getting the job in recent weeks.
But should the former first lady, who is still considered a popular figure among Democrats, express an interest in the job, Biden would jump at the opportunity.
“I’d take her in a heartbeat,” Biden told Pittsburgh’s KDKA this week. “She’s brilliant. She knows the way around. She is a really fine woman. The Obamas are great friends.”
Jarrett said that it’s not a likely scenario.
“Of course he would take her. That’s not the question,” she said in the interview. “The question is, is this the way in which she wants to continue her life of service?”
Jarrett said that Obama has no interest in being a political figure and wants to be a “public servant.”
“She’s only interested in the service component,” she explained.
Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, recently endorsed Biden for president, although Michelle Obama hasn’t made any public comments.
“President Obama understands, as I do, that we will come through this crisis stronger. And then we’ll not only rebuild this nation—we will transform it,” Biden said about Obama.
