Michelle Obama for president? Ted Cruz thinks she could be the Democratic nominee

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, doubled down on his prediction that Democrats will “dump Biden” and tap former First Lady Michelle Obama as their party’s nominee.

“Watching Biden’s excruciating debate performance tonight, I believe the odds are now greater than 80% that the Dems dump Biden,” Cruz said in a post on X during Thursday’s presidential debate. “Nine months ago, on Verdict I predicted that the Dems would replace Biden with Michelle Obama. I think that’s going to happen.”

Cruz on his podcast “Verdict” in September said: “So here’s the scenario that I think is perhaps most likely and most dangerous. In August of 2024, the Democrat kingmakers jettison Joe Biden and parachute in Michelle Obama. ... I view this as a very serious danger.”

Obama has said she will not run for president. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the first lady reiterated this point, sending a previous statement from March 2024.

“As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” Crystal Carson, director of communications for the Office of Michelle Obama, said at the time. “Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.”

A spokesperson for Biden’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.

A source close to the campaign said Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee, pointing out that Biden is the only candidate to ever defeat Trump and adding that the fight to win will continue until November. Biden could have performed better, but there’s historical president for incumbent presidents preforming badly in their first debate, the source said.

Biden addressed his Thursday debate performance in a speech at a North Carolina campaign rally. Biden said he’s not a young man and doesn’t debate as well as he used to, but assured the crowd that he’s up for the job of president.

“I know, like millions of Americans know: When you get knocked down, you get back up,” Biden said.

If Biden were to drop his presidential bid before Democrat’s convention in August, the nominee would be picked at the convention, according to The New York Times.

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