Will US ever get a woman President? Only if she is Republican, says Bill Clinton

Former US President Bill Clinton has suggested that the country may not be ready for a woman President yet following Democratic candidate Kamala Harris's loss to Donald Trump in the November 5 election. He opined that America was more likely to elect a woman to the highest office if she is a "conservative Republican".

In a recent CBS News interview, Clinton, who aggressively campaigned for Harris, was asked if the nation was not ready for a woman President yet.

"Maybe," the 78-year-old replied. "I think in some ways, we have moved to the right as a reaction to all the turmoil. I think if Hillary (had) been nominated in 2008, she would have walked in just like Obama did."

Bill Clinton's wife and former Secretary of State ran for President in 2008, but lost to Barack Obama. In 2016, she won the Democratic nomination, but lost the election to her Republican rival, Trump.

He also said that it was even harder for a woman to win a presidential election because of "all these cultural battles we are fighting".

When the former President was questioned if the decision to elect a woman President had more to do with either of the two parties, he replied, "No. Although I think it would be probably be easier for a conservative Republican woman to win."

On a positive note, Bill Clinton expressed hope for a woman to occupy the Oval Office, saying, "I still think we'll have a female president pretty soon."

"I don't know how long I'm going to live... I hope I'm around for the next time. But now, it's President Trump's turn in the barrel. Depends on what he does and how it plays."

In the 2024 election, the idea of electing the nation's first woman President was not one of the factors that resonated with the people to go out and vote.

According to the Associated Press VoteCast survey, only 10 per cent of voters called the historical factor the most important that would affect their decision making. An additional 25 per cent considered it an important factor but not decisive.

Harris managed to secure 48.1 per cent of the over 140 million votes Americans cast in 2024, according to NBC News.