Fact Check: Did Michelle Obama Stall Over Biden Reelection Question?

As the U.S. enters another election year, all eyes are on an expected showdown between incumbent President Joe Biden and current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump this November.

However, Biden, 81, enters the race with low approval ratings and even speculation that he may step down as the Democratic candidate in the 2024 election. The president has been criticized by detractors over such factors as his age, his handling of a number of crises, and public remarks he has made.

Previously, Biden said he doubted he would run for a second term if former President Trump, 77, had decided not to enter the race to try to win back the White House following his defeat in 2020.

"If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running," Biden told attendees at a fundraiser in Massachusetts last month. "We cannot let him win for the sake of our country."

Speaking on December 6, however, Biden told reporters "I expect so" when asked if he would be running if Trump wasn't. "Look, he is running and I have to run."

Asked if he will drop out if Trump does, Biden responded: "No, not now."

The Claim

Amid the speculation surrounding Biden's bid, video footage has this week emerged on social media of former first lady Michelle Obama appearing to stall when asked for her thoughts on the president's plans for a second term.

In the 10-second clip shared on X, formerly Twitter, ABC News' Robin Roberts is seen asking Obama if she hopes Biden "will run again in 2024."

"You know, I... I... I—I will have to see," responded an apparently stumped Obama, who served as first lady between 2009 and 2017.

"Michelle Obama seems tongue tied when asked about 2024 Biden run for presidency," wrote X user @FreyjaTarte in sharing the clip on January 2.

Along the bottom of the clip, a Fox News line of text placed over the ABC logo displays the words: "Michelle Obama refuses to endorse Biden."

The clip was also shared by the X account @MyLordBebo, which added the caption: "Michelle Obama not so excited about Biden running..."

The video sparked a wave of speculation that Obama, wife of former President Barack Obama, is planning to make a bid for the White House herself in 2024.

It was also taken as an indication that Michelle Obama is not a fan of Biden, who served as vice president during her husband's two terms in the White House.

The Facts

The footage in question was taken from an ABC 20/20 special that Michelle Obama sat down for back in November 2022, when she was promoting her book, The Light We Carry. Much of the interview focused on her family life after the White House.

At the time of the interview, Biden had not yet publicly declared that he was running for reelection. He made the announcement in April 2023.

While the 10-second clip gave many social media users the impression that the former first lady disapproved of Biden, she had actually told Roberts earlier in the interview that he was doing "a great job" and "the best he can under some tough circumstances."

When asked about whether she hoped Biden would run for a second term, Michelle Obama did stumble on her words, before explaining why she held back.

"The reason I don't speak on that is because I know what it feels like to be on the other side of it, and I think that that's a personal decision that he and his family have to make," she explained.

"Probably, if I hadn't been through it, I would feel more cavalier about opining on it, but I know it's a personal call, and I don't want to be one of the millions of people weighing in on what he should do, he and Jill should do," she added, referring to first lady Jill Biden.

The Fox News text was placed on the clip that had circulated online as Michelle Obama's comments on Biden were discussed at the time on the network's Jesse Waters Primetime talk show.

The Ruling

Misleading Material. While Michelle Obama did indeed stumble on her words when asked about her hopes of Biden running for a second term, the interview took place several months ahead of Biden announcing that he was running for reelection.

Furthermore, the edited clip circulated on social media does not include her explanation for not giving a forthright answer about a possible second Biden term.

The former first lady told her interviewer in the November 2022 clip that, as somebody whose husband had served for two terms in office, she felt it was a "personal decision that [Biden] and his family have to make."

At no point did Michelle Obama express any form of disapproval of Biden or his performance in office. She told Roberts at the time that Biden was doing a "great job" under "some tough circumstances."

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK