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LeadershipSouth by Southwest

Michelle Obama Says She Won’t Run For President

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
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By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
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March 16, 2016, 3:51 PM ET
speaks onstage during Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit - Day 2 atThe Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard on October 13, 2015 in Washington, DC.
Photograph by Paul Morigi—Getty Images

Michelle Obama has no plans to follow in Hillary Clinton’s footsteps—at least, in terms of becoming a presidential candidate after serving as First Lady.

After she delivered a keynote speech at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Tx., on Wednesday, Obama took part in a Q-and-A panel moderated by Queen Latifah, who asked the current First Lady if she would ever consider running for president herself, according to Variety. “I will not run for president,” Obama said, adding that she wouldn’t want her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, to have to endure another parent’s White House tenure.

“Being the daughters of a president, just think about it. Not so easy. They handled it with grace and poise,” the First Lady said, according to Variety.

Obama’s response didn’t exactly come amid any wild speculation as to whether or not the First Lady would mount a bid for the White House in the near future. While a Rasmussen poll conducted last year found some support for a second Obama presidency, very few respondents actually thought she would make a run. Meanwhile, earlier this year, President Barack Obama expressed his certainty that his wife would likely never seek a return to the White House.

As Fortune previewed last week, Michelle Obama delivered a keynote today to open the music-focused arm of SXSW, the annual film, music, and interactive technology festival. In her speech, the First Lady focused on challenges faced by millions of girls around the world in getting an education—an issue she has championed as part of her Let Girls Learn initiative.

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By Tom Huddleston Jr.
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