At a time of such widespread political division and social turmoil, the calls for strong and stable leadership have grown louder and louder. And as the US continues to scale back the rights of women, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community, one name in particular has emerged time and time again: Michelle Obama.

As first lady from 2009 to 2017, Obama made a name for herself through initiatives for women, healthy families, higher education and international adolescent girls’ education, and remained a popular and outspoken figure even after her husband’s presidency ended.

However, in an interview with BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty, Obama emphasised that although “leadership matters”, she has ruled out the possibility of running for president herself in future.

In fact, despite there being plenty of vocal support for a Michelle Obama presidency, she admitted that she “detests” being asked the question, stating: “I’m not going to run.” Instead, she said, it was important to have leadership that “reflects the direction that we want to go in as a people” and that made the general public “feel seen”.

“Leadership matters,” she continued. “The voices at the top matter if we can continue to be susceptible to voices that want to lead by fear and division. That’s why government matters, democracy matters. Voting matters. So I think it starts with having leadership that reflects the direction that we want to go in as a people.”

While discussing the release of her upcoming book, The Light We Carry, Obama took some time to reflect on how the election of Donald Trump in 2016 changed the political landscape of the US.

Obama said the electoral decision “still hurts”, and in her “darkest moment” she does question if her husband Barack Obama’s time in office mattered.

“When I’m in my darkest moment … my most irrational place, I could say, well, maybe [it didn’t matter]. Maybe we weren’t good enough,” she admitted. “But then I look around when there is more clarity … and think more rationally, I think well … today there’s a whole world of young people who are thinking differently about themselves because of the work that we’ve done. And that’s where you can’t allow great to be the enemy of the good.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Obama admitted that she struggles with negative thoughts about her appearance and her “fearful mind”, but that women need to “learn to love ourselves as we are”.

“I’m still a work in progress and facing myself each morning with something kind is still a challenge,” she said.

Images: Getty