Kellyanne Conway took a jab at former first lady Michele Obama on Wednesday, asking "What has she done?"
While appearing on Fox Business's Mornings with Maria, Conway, a former White House adviser to Donald Trump, spoke about the hypothetical situation wherein President Joe Biden drops out of the 2024 presidential race and Obama runs instead.
"What has she won? What has she done? I can respect her as a first lady or a great mother or great daughter for having her mother in that White House with them but what has she done in the seven years since they've left the White House?" Conway said.
Newsweek reached out to the Obama Foundation via email for comment.
The context:
Conway was speaking about the situation of who could replace Biden as the Democrats' 2024 nominee, such as Michelle Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Over the past several weeks, 81-year-old Biden has faced concerns about his memory and age. Harris recently told the Wall Street Journal that she is "ready to serve" if she is called to replace Biden in the presidential race.
What we know:
Last week, a Department of Justice Special Counsel report was released detailing an investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents found at his home in Delaware. The report said that no charges would be filed and cited Biden's memory as an issue.
"Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," the report said.
Views:
During her appearance on Mornings with Maria, Conway continued her criticism of Michelle Obama, saying, "We can't just say 'Oh, this is somebody who has the Obama name, Barack Obama will really be running the country, let's go,' I think that's a non-starter."
Responding to questions about Biden's age and memory this week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president will not be taking a cognitive test during his upcoming physical.
What's next:
Recent polls have shown that voters are concerned about Biden's age ahead of the upcoming election. A poll from ABC News/Ipsos found 59 percent of respondents said both 77-year-old Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, Biden are too old to serve a second term in the White House.
Update 2/14/24, 9:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and to note that Newsweek reached out to the Obama Foundation for comment.
Update 2/14/24, 10:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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