New York, New York - Former first lady Michelle Obama declared that the US is not ready for a female president and suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris' gender was partly behind her loss in the 2024 election.

"As we saw in the past election, sadly, we ain't ready," she told actor and event moderator Tracee Ellis Ross, seemingly blaming Harris' gender at least in part for her loss of last year's election.

Obama made the comments while promoting her new book "The Look" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on November 5, but they only became public when she published the clip on YouTube over the weekend.

"That's why I'm like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying," Obama declared, doubling down on her denial of a potential 2028 run.

"You're not ready for a woman. You are not," she added.

"You know, we got a lot of growing up to do, and there's still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it."

The former first lady was a staunch supporter of former Vice President Harris during her run for president last year, which took place over only 107 days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Rumors have long circled that Michelle Obama might make her own bid for the Oval Office, but she has repeatedly indicated that she has no desire to return to the White House and serve as president.

Co-written alongside her long-time stylist Meredith Koop, Obama's new book "The Look" is a deep dive into her fashion choices as the only woman of color to serve as first lady.