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Michelle Obama’s newly launched podcast has racked up more than 260,000 YouTube subscribers this year, and the former first lady remains one of the Democratic Party’s most popular figures.
But she’s not a political savior, a new report reminds readers. She’s not running for office, let alone president, and her show is likely at best a blueprint for Democrats desperate to engage voters in the sort of fashion that right-leaning shows and hosts did to President Donald Trump’s benefit in 2024.
“As Democrats search for a liberal counter to the right-wing media ecosystem that helped Trump win back the White House by reaching millions who don’t pay attention to mainstream media, the online show of a relatable and popular Democrat could be what they are looking for,” a new USA Today report states.
Obama and her brother Craig Robinson launched “IMO” in March, which Obama teased as addressing people feeling more alone than ever in “really complicated and confusing times.” Left unsaid was that Trump had taken office less than two months earlier, with the political party her husband Barack Obama led and the broader progressive movement in shambles after Republicans swept to power in November.
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Yet Michelle Obama has remained deliberately apolitical for the most part in the show. Her most recent guest was social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, where they discussed his work to discourage parents from letting kids and teenagers spend too much of their formative years on smartphones and screens. On Father’s Day, she spoke to rock star Bruce Springsteen and Trump wasn’t mentioned by name.
She’s said repeatedly she’s not running for office. One supporter quoted by USA Today noted the former first lady “hates politics,” and Obama has spoken about feeling a sense of “freedom” with her two daughters now in young adulthood.
But she’s not staying out of the limelight. She has also appeared on numerous other podcasts for interviews this year, doing far more media appearances than her husband, including on podcasts hosted by NPR, Amy Poehler, and Sophia Bush. She’s largely eschewing political topics and direct criticism of the Trump administration, while not completely avoiding hot topics either. One Democratic strategist said this was a better use of her talents than sounding off directly on politics.
“So this is the best way that she can create space and show the multi-dimensional nature of Black women: our thinking; how we engage friends; how we engage with people across racial lines; how we engage with our siblings; and the fullness of us, while also allowing her to speak to the issues of the moment,” Democratic strategist Nina Smith told USA Today.
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In the backdrop of Obama’s ascension as a more public media figure in 2025, Democrats are reportedly casting about for an army of online influencers to counter the hugely followed voices like Joe Rogan that helped push young men into Trump’s corner in 2024.
Liberal strategists are pushing the party’s megadonors to spend tens of millions of dollars to develop “an army of left-leaning online influencers” to help the party “compete culturally” with President Donald Trump, according to The New York Times.
“The quiet effort amounts to an audacious — skeptics might say desperate — bet that Democrats can buy more cultural relevance online, despite the fact that casually right-leaning touchstones like Mr. Rogan’s podcast were not built by political donors and did not rise overnight,” the Times reported.
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Michelle Obama has built credibility with Democratic Party supporters since she and her husband burst onto the national political scene in the late 2000s. Yet since neither she nor her husband are running for office again, she can’t be relied upon too much beyond being a voice in the political wilderness.
“It’s important for her to stay within the public space, so it’s good that she wants to be active. She endorses candidates and stuff of that nature. I have no problem with that,” Maryland native Steven Uzoukwu told USA Today. “I just think we shouldn’t rely on the Obamas to save America.”
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