President Joe Biden's 2024 presidential election campaign has been surrounded by speculation that other high-profile candidates such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and former First Lady Michelle Obama could enter the fray.
While Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee, concerns about his age and competency have led to speculation that others might take on the mantle, despite their denials.
A recent viral TikTok, viewed more than seven million times, claimed that this time had come, stating that Michelle Obama had formally announced a 2024 run.
The Claim
A TikTok video, posted on February 10, 2024, by user "politicalprowess" viewed 7.2 million times, included the headline "Michelle Obama announces shes [sic] running for president in 2024. Comment your reaction."
The video included a clip of Michelle Obama, in which she said: "That a woman can be president of the United States.
"I want a president with a record of public service. Someone whose life work shows our children that we don't chase fame and fortune for ourselves, we fight to give everyone a chance to succeed and we give back even when we're struggling ourselves because we know that there is always someone worse off, and there but for the grace of God go I."
The Facts
Michelle Obama has not announced a run for the White House. Spokesperson Crystal Carson told NBC News last week that the former first lady will not run.
"As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," Carson said.
"Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' re-election campaign."
The video attached to the TikTok is also nearly eight years old, taken from a July 2016 speech at the Democratic National Convention in support of Hilary Clinton's presidential campaign.
The TikTok starts with a truncated sentence from that speech, in which Michelle Obama said: "And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters, and all our sons and daughters, now take for granted that a woman can be President of the United States."
The user who posted the clip has published multiple videos falsely stating that Michelle Obama is running for office. The account has also published content asking viewers whether the former first lady should run for office. Perhaps tellingly, the user's TikTok account information includes a link to a merchandise page with paraphernalia for the made-up campaign.
Newsweek has contacted the office of Barack and Michelle Obama for comment.
Baseless headlines surrounding popular news stories have been a feature of a number of TikTok videos Newsweek has examined recently, with no content, sourcing, or references to support their claims.
Among them have been claims that Clarence Thomas had "stormed out" of a Supreme Court Justice conference and that Fani Willis had been disqualified from the election interference prosecution against former President Donald Trump in Georgia.
The Ruling
False.
Michelle Obama has not announced that she is running for president. Her office recently denied speculation that she might.
The headline shared on TikTok includes no sourcing or reference to support its claim. The accompanying video of Michelle Obama was filmed in 2016 when she spoke in support of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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