Here’s what she said.
Former first lady Jill Biden is opening up about a political milestone she once believed was within reach for America — and why she now has doubts she will live to see it happen.
During an appearance on Kelly Ripa’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, Biden discussed the possibility of the United States electing its first female president. The conversation quickly turned to former Vice President Kamala Harris and her unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign against President Donald Trump.
Biden, now 75, acknowledged that she is no longer confident America will elect its first woman president during her lifetime.
“In my lifetime? Well, I’m 75,” Biden said during the conversation.
She suggested Ripa might have a better chance of witnessing that historic political first.
The remarks were notable because Biden said she had once been convinced Harris would become the first woman elected president of the United States.
Jill Biden Thought Kamala Harris Would Make History
Looking back at the 2024 presidential election, Biden recalled the enthusiasm she witnessed while campaigning on behalf of Harris.
Biden pointed to the crowds, campaign events and excitement surrounding the Democratic National Convention as reasons she believed Harris was headed toward victory.
She said she thought America was finally going to elect a woman president.
Instead, voters delivered a different outcome.
Donald Trump defeated Harris in the 2024 presidential election, returning to the White House and ending Democratic hopes that Harris would make history as the country’s first female president.
For Biden, the loss appears to have changed her expectations about how soon America might elect a woman to the nation’s highest office.
Harris’ Defeat Still Raises Questions For Democrats
The 2024 election remains an important political lesson for Democrats as the party considers its future presidential candidates.
Was Harris defeated because America was unwilling to elect a woman?
Or were voters primarily concerned about the economy, inflation, immigration, public safety, foreign policy and the record of the Biden-Harris administration?
That distinction could become especially important heading toward the 2028 presidential election.
Patrice Onwuka, vice president of economic policy at Independent Women, criticized Biden’s remarks and argued that Democratic leaders should be paying closer attention to policy rather than focusing heavily on gender.
Onwuka suggested Biden’s pessimistic prediction could also be viewed as a slight toward Democratic women who may have presidential ambitions of their own.
Potential future Democratic contenders could include prominent political figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, although the eventual 2028 field remains to be determined.
Critic Says Voters Were Focused On Policy
Onwuka argued that Harris’ 2024 defeat was ultimately connected to voters’ dissatisfaction with the political status quo rather than simply her gender.
She pointed to Harris’ enormous campaign resources and prominent position within the Democratic Party while arguing that neither was enough to deliver a victory.
Her broader argument was that Americans care deeply about whether government policies improve their everyday lives.
That includes issues especially important to older and middle-class voters, such as grocery prices, retirement security, taxes, Medicare, Social Security, energy costs, housing, crime and America’s economic future.
Those kitchen-table concerns can determine elections regardless of whether the candidate is a man or woman.
For Republicans and conservatives, Harris’ defeat offered another interpretation of the 2024 election: voters were not necessarily rejecting the possibility of electing a woman president. They were rejecting the Democratic ticket presented to them.
That difference matters as Democrats attempt to determine what went wrong and how they can rebuild support before another presidential election.
Trump Defeated Harris In 2024
Harris entered the 2024 presidential contest under unusual circumstances after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and backed his vice president.
Democrats quickly rallied behind Harris, giving her an opportunity to become both the first woman and first woman of color elected president.
The campaign generated considerable enthusiasm among Democratic voters, and Jill Biden said she personally witnessed that excitement.
But enthusiasm at rallies did not ultimately translate into enough votes to defeat Trump.
The result returned Trump to the presidency and forced Democrats into a broader debate about the party’s message, leadership and relationship with working- and middle-class Americans.
Those questions could shape Democratic politics for years.
Kelly Ripa Is Even Less Optimistic
Ripa told Biden she was actually “less hopeful” about seeing a woman elected president.
She questioned what would have to change before a female presidential candidate finally broke through with enough voters to win the White House.
Ripa also suggested that social media may be making the political environment more difficult.
Still, she expressed hope that a political messenger could eventually emerge who successfully connects with the American public.
That question extends far beyond Democratic politics.
Women have served at nearly every major level of American government. They have been governors, senators, Supreme Court justices, Cabinet secretaries, congressional leaders and vice president.
America has still never elected a woman president.
Michelle Obama Also Questioned America’s Readiness
Former first lady Michelle Obama has previously expressed similar concerns.
Obama generated widespread discussion when she argued that America was not yet ready to elect a woman president, pointing to Harris’ loss to Trump as evidence.
Not everyone in the Democratic Party agreed.
Harris pushed back against the idea that Americans were unwilling to put a woman in the White House.
“I do believe the country is ready,” Harris told The New York Times in 2025.
Harris pointed to the large audiences attending events associated with her book tour as evidence that she continued to command considerable public interest.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also challenged the argument that a woman could not serve effectively as commander-in-chief.
Pelosi noted that women already serve in America’s armed forces and questioned why being female should prevent someone from holding the presidency.
Is America Ready For A Female President?
The debate creates an interesting divide among some of America’s most prominent Democratic women.
Jill Biden is doubtful she will witness a female president during her lifetime.
Michelle Obama has questioned whether the country is ready.
Harris believes voters are ready.
Pelosi has argued that gender should not be an obstacle.
Ultimately, however, the question may be decided less by gender than by the political environment surrounding the next presidential election.
American voters traditionally weigh numerous factors when choosing a president.
The economy is usually near the top of that list.
Inflation, wages, taxes, retirement savings, Social Security, Medicare, health care expenses, energy costs and housing affordability can have a direct impact on millions of households.
Immigration, crime, national security and foreign affairs can also heavily influence voters.
A future female candidate who successfully persuades Americans on those issues could potentially make history.
Democrats Have A Major Decision Ahead Of 2028
Jill Biden’s remarks also arrive as Democrats face a larger question about their political future.
The party will eventually need to decide what lessons it takes from Harris’ defeat.
Democrats could conclude that Harris faced barriers associated with becoming the country’s first female president.
But they could also determine that voters were dissatisfied with the policies and political direction associated with the Biden administration.
Republicans are likely to argue the latter.
For conservatives, Trump’s victory demonstrated that voters cared more about the direction of the country than the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy.
That argument could become an important part of the political conversation if Democrats nominate another woman in a future presidential election.
Voters Will Have The Final Say
America’s first female president will eventually have to accomplish something no woman presidential candidate has done before: assemble enough support across the country to win the Electoral College.
Gender may be part of the political conversation, but voters will also expect answers on the issues affecting their families, communities and financial futures.
That means any future candidate — Republican or Democrat, man or woman — will need to convince Americans that their policies can produce meaningful results.
Jill Biden once believed Harris was about to become America’s first woman president.
After the results of 2024, she is far less certain she will witness that historic moment during her lifetime.
Whether her prediction proves correct remains to be seen.
For Democrats looking toward 2028 and beyond, however, the bigger question may not simply be whether America is ready for a female president.
It may be whether the next candidate can convince voters that she is the right president.
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