Jill Biden Doubts She’ll See a Woman Elected President in Her Lifetime After Kamala Harris Loss

Former first lady Jill Biden says she doubts the United States will elect a woman president during her lifetime, reflecting on Kamala Harris’ defeat to President Trump in the 2024 election and admitting she had been convinced Harris would win.

Biden, 75, made the admission during an appearance on Kelly Ripa’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast. Asked whether she believed she would live to see a woman elected president, Biden said probably not, although she suggested the milestone could happen during Ripa’s lifetime.

The former first lady said her outlook was dramatically different during the 2024 campaign. Biden actively campaigned for Harris after her husband, former President Joe Biden, ended his reelection campaign, and she recalled seeing large crowds and enthusiasm surrounding the Democratic nominee.

Biden said the atmosphere surrounding Harris’ campaign convinced her that the country was finally about to elect its first female president. Instead, Trump defeated Harris in November, returning to the White House for a second term. Biden said she was “shocked” when she woke up early the following morning and learned Harris had lost.

Her comments come as Democrats are already looking toward the 2028 presidential election. Several women have been discussed as possible contenders, including Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. None has secured the nomination, and the Democratic field remains unsettled more than two years before the election.

Patrice Onwuka of Independent Women criticized Biden’s pessimistic prediction, arguing that it amounted to a slight against Democratic women who could seek the presidency in 2028. Onwuka specifically pointed to Whitmer and Ocasio-Cortez as potential candidates whose prospects Biden appeared to be discounting.

Onwuka also rejected the suggestion that Harris’ gender was responsible for her defeat. She argued that voters rejected Harris because of her political record and connection to the Biden administration, saying Democrats should focus more heavily on policies affecting ordinary Americans rather than treating the election primarily as a question of gender.

Biden is not alone in expressing doubts about the country electing a woman president. Former first lady Michelle Obama has previously voiced similar skepticism following Harris’ defeat, saying the election demonstrated to her that America was not yet prepared to put a woman in the White House. Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have pushed back against that assessment.

For Biden, however, the experience of 2024 appears to have fundamentally changed her expectations. After campaigning for Harris and believing she was watching history unfold, the former first lady now says she is no longer confident she will personally witness the United States elect its first female president.