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James Clyburn Says U.S. ‘Not Ready’ for a Woman President — Urges Women To Keep Running

07:57 AM, 12/08/2025

Rep. James Clyburn told NBC’s Meet The Press he believes the U.S. is not yet ready to elect a woman president, echoing concerns voiced by Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama about sexism and racism in the 2024 election. Clyburn cited past campaigns by Hillary Clinton and Harris as evidence of remaining obstacles but warned against reversing progress. Quoting his father — “the darkest point of the night is that moment just before dawn” — he urged women to run and pledged his support.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday that, in his view, the United States is not yet prepared to elect a woman president — but he urged persistence and encouraged women to continue running for office.

Host Kristen Welker referenced comments from former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has attributed her 2024 loss in part to sexism and racism, and played a clip of former First Lady Michelle Obama saying the country may not be ready for a woman president. Welker asked Clyburn whether he agreed with that assessment.

“Well, history is prologue,” Clyburn replied, saying he understood Harris’s perspective and agreed that Obama was “absolutely correct.” He pointed to past campaigns as evidence that the nation still faces barriers: “These are incredible women who have run: Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris. And I think that we are getting there. That’s why we can’t afford to turn the clock back.”

“So, just because it doesn’t seem that we are ready doesn’t mean we should stop the pursuit. My dad used to tell me all the time, ‘Son, the darkest point of the night is that moment just before dawn.’ And so, we may be in a dark moment as it relates to women serving as president. But we may be in that moment just before dawn when a woman will serve. And in order for that to happen, they have got to run. So I want women to run. I’m going to support them. I’m the father of three fantastic women. I want them to keep their pursuit and not give up on this country.”

Clyburn warned against reversing recent progress: “We’ve taken one, two, and three steps forward. Let’s not take two, three, and four steps backwards, which is what we’re doing in these elections.” He emphasized the need to encourage female candidates and to continue building political momentum rather than conceding because of setbacks.

Watch the clip on NBC News’s Meet The Press. This report first appeared on Mediaite.

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