The American people have, once again, disappointed former First Lady Michelle Obama. Recently, Obama told podcaster Alex Cooper that the country is “not ready” for a female president, but based on CNN’s reaction on Wednesday’s Erin Burnett OutFront, CNN is ready for Obama herself to be president.
Burnett reacted to Obama’s comments with Harry Enten, who is usually CNN’s energetic polling data nerd. However, for this particular segment, Burnett asked, “So, Harry. Okay. Can you prove her wrong? I mean, what are the numbers say to Michelle Obama?”
CNN appears to jump onboard the Michelle Obama 2028 train with polling guru Harry Enten claiming, "Historians top first lady rankings Eleanor Roosevelt number one, Abigail Adams. We couldn't get a picture of her. So, we went with the painting at number two. Michelle Obama at… pic.twitter.com/mpOWsjLyIb
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) January 22, 2026
Enten declared that he couldn’t, “Well, I don't know if I could prove her wrong, because why don't we just look at the heads of government in the United States compared to the rest of the world, right? Since 1946, we look in the United States, there have been zero. That's zero, less than one, rest of the world has had 136, which is 136 more than zero. So, no, I can't prove her wrong. I don't know if the country is ready yet or not, but I do know we haven't done it yet.”
The duo then tied two individual Democrats to all of female America with Burnett beginning, “No, and there has been the opportunity to do it, right? So as” and Enten interrupting to add, “Yes. We've had Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, there you go.”
Burnett wondered about Obama, “All right. So, Michelle Obama, obviously, was extremely popular when she was first lady. And we all remember, you know, her fans wanted her to run herself for president. So, what about now as she has taken on, she was very quiet along with her husband for a while now, taking a different role. Podcasts, things like that.”
Enten agreed, “Yeah. I would tell you in terms of popular figures in this country, she's the most popular.”
That’s because most people do not view her as a partisan politician, but that would change if she ever decided to run for office. Still, Enten then moved on to a survey from Sienna University, “But taking the long historic arc, right? Look at first ladies and historians have ranked the first ladies over time. Look at this. Historians top first lady rankings Eleanor Roosevelt number one, Abigail Adams. We couldn't get a picture of her. So, we went with the painting at number two. Michelle Obama at number three, and then Jackie Kennedy number four. If you're beating Jackie Kennedy on the first lady rankings, you know you're doing something right. In terms of the first ladies.”
Or you just have a sympathetic judge. According to these historians, liberal heroes make up three of the top four first ladies ever. If you were to expand the survey, Sienna put six Democrats in the top ten including Hillary Clinton, three from the founding era, and only one Republican: liberal Betty Ford. Nancy Reagan placed 15th and Melania Trump placed dead last. The most recent survey occurred before Jill Biden became first lady, but it is impossible to imagine this group ranking her beneath Melania.
Even if Obama wants to run for president, she probably wouldn’t get very far. Starting your campaign by attacking the voters’ character is usually a guaranteed way to fail and no amount of CNN spin can change that.
Here is a transcript for the January 21 show:
CNN Erin Burnett OutFront
1/21/2026
7:57 PM ET
ERIN BURNETT: So, Harry. Okay. Can you prove her wrong? I mean, what are the numbers say to Michelle Obama?
HARRY ENTEN: Well, I don't know if I could prove her wrong, because why don't we just look at the heads of government in the United States compared to the rest of the world, right? Since 1946, we look in the United States, there have been zero. That's zero, less than one, rest of the world has had 136, which is 136 more than zero.
So, no, I can't prove her wrong. I don't know if the country is ready yet or not, but I do know we haven't done it yet.
BURNETT: No, and there has been the opportunity to do it, right? So as –
ENTEN: Yes. We've had Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, there you go.
BURNETT: All right. So, Michelle Obama, obviously, was extremely popular when she was first lady.
ENTEN: Yes.
BURNETT: And we all remember, you know, her fans wanted her to run herself for president. So, what about now as she has taken on, she was very quiet along with her husband for a while now, taking a different role. Podcasts, things like that.
ENTEN: Yeah. I would tell you in terms of popular figures in this country, she's the most popular. But taking the long historic arc, right? Look at first ladies and historians have ranked the first ladies over time. Look at this. Historians top first lady rankings: Eleanor Roosevelt, number one. Abigail Adams. We couldn't get a picture of her. So, we went with the painting at number two. Michelle Obama at number three, and then Jackie Kennedy number four. If you're beating Jackie Kennedy on the first lady rankings, you know you're doing something right. In terms of the first ladies.”
If you're beating Jackie Kennedy on the first lady rankings, you know you're doing something right. In terms of the first ladies.”
