Michelle Obama blasts 'aging' leaders who 'hold on for too long'

Michelle Obama chastised leaders in America for 'not making room for the next generation,' weeks after declaring the US is not ready for a female president. The former First Lady, 61, was speaking with Anderson Cooper on the latest episode of her IMO podcast, which she co-hosts with brother Craig Robinson, when she issued the blistering attack. Obama was telling a story about a retired partner at the law firm where she worked in Chicago as a young lawyer, when she shared her and husband Barack Obama 's thoughts on leadership.

'My husband said this recently, I mean, one of the problems with today's society is that nobody wants to move on from leadership,' she told Cooper. 'People hang on too long, and they hang on beyond their usefulness or even their practicality,' she declared. The mom-of-two continued, saying that as people get older, they start to 'think a different way,' but should be open to collaborating with younger people. 'Leaders are supposed to move on and make room for the next generation that has new ideas,' she pointed out.

'But because there's no place for our senior leaders to go with honor and dignity, I think people hold on too long.' Obama went on to say that 'we suffer as a society, as a nation, and as a world' because there hasn't been a successful segue for elderly people into different societal roles once they retire. '[We don't give] them a space to leave gracefully, to really give them a place of honor so that they feel ready to go there,' she said. 'It doesn't feel like the end of the road, it's the beginning of someone new, and we don't do that well in America or the world.'

Obama didn't mention any names in particular on the podcast. However , in 2024, the podcast host famously did not campaign for former president Joe Biden, now 82, when he was the nominee and only confirmed her Democratic National Convention speaking slot after he stepped down from the presidential run to endorse Kamala Harris, according to sources. Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race after pressure from Democrats to step aside, with his ailing health and age a point of contention during the campaign. He went on to endorse his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump. Obama has also been on the receiving end of several bizarre rants by US President Donald Trump.

He recently reposted a video from longtime conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, titled: 'Michelle Obama may have used Biden's autopen in the final days of his disastrous administration to pardon key individuals.' Since entering the White House, Trump has accused Biden of relying on a mechanical device to authorize executive orders and pardons near the end of his administration. Before leaving office, Biden granted clemency for a variety of Trump critics and MAGA rivals, including retired General Mark Milley and Dr Anthony Fauci. There is no evidence to suggest that the former first lady was involved in Biden's last-minute pardons.

It's not the first time Obama has shared her thoughts about politics. Last month, she sparked a heated debate after saying that Americans, particularly men, are still not ready to elect a woman president in the US. Obama argued that the country has 'a lot of growing up to do' before electing a woman to the White House , explaining she doesn't think she would be able to overcome the apparent bias among voters if she were to mount a White House run. 'That's why I'm like, "Don't even look at me about running, because cause you all are lying,"' she said. 'You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time,' she said during a live sit-down with actress Tracee Ellis Ross.

'We got a lot of growing up to do, and there are still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it.' The comments were criticized by many, including ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith , who slammed Obama on his SirusXM show. Smith pointed out Democrats' success running two women for the governorships in New Jersey and Virginia two weeks ago, with Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger winning by large margins. Smith also pointed out that Hillary Clinton technically got more votes than Donald Trump in 2016, despite losing the electoral college.