I won’t run for president because of my children: Michelle Obama

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama has said she will not run for president, according to a report by BBC News.

Her statement came during her first public remarks since leaving the White House at a Q&A in Orlando.

Obama cited her children as one major reason for her decision.

“I wouldn’t ask my children to do this again because when you run for higher office, it’s not just you. It’s your whole family.

“It’s all well and good until you start running and then the knives come out.”

She did, however, reaffirm her family’s devotion to work for the good of the public.

“Public service will always be in our blood,” she said.

The Obamas have not made many public appearances since turning the Oval Office over to current US President Donald Trump. They have, however, signed a book deal worth $40m for separate memoirs.

Barack Obama has also faced criticism from members of the Democratic Party for accepting $400,000 for a speech to a Wall Street investment firm.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a potential presidential candidate in 2020, said she was ‘troubled’ by the speech.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran against Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic Primaries, also called the speaking engagement ‘distasteful’.