However, a prominent Republican figure has dismissed such conjecture, while also suggesting that Biden may not be the Democrats' ultimate choice for the general election.
Karl Rove, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff under former President George W. Bush, dismissed the speculation about Michelle Obama during an interview with FOX Business. He pointed to the former First Lady's well-documented aversion to politics as a key reason why she would not be a viable candidate.
"No – Look, she hates politics. Read her autobiography," Rove said on "Varney & Co." "She didn't want her husband to run for the [Illinois] State Senate. She didn't want him to run for the presidency. She's not a political animal."
Rove further argued that a Michelle Obama candidacy would inevitably lead to speculation that she would merely serve as a proxy for her husband, former President Barack Obama. "People would say that's Barack trying to get a third term as president and they wouldn't go for it," he contended. He added that Barack Obama, being a "smart guy," would understand this.
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"This is a weird obsession of the conspiratorial right -- And it's just lunacy, pure lunacy," Rove stated.
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Rove recalled that in 2020, he had to debunk Republican theories about Biden being replaced by then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, with Michelle Obama as his running mate. "Starting with the fact she hates politics, period. She loves the life that she's got," he asserted.
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However, Rove did not entirely rule out the possibility of Biden being replaced as the Democratic nominee, although he emphasized that it would not be the media or critics who would push Biden out.
Rove referred to Biden's recent gaffe where he claimed to have spoken with the late French President Francois Mitterrand, seemingly confusing him with the current President Emmanuel Macron. He suggested that such missteps could lead to Biden's close family members urging him to step aside.
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"Something inside me says somebody is going to wake up on that side, Jill Biden or maybe his sister, Valerie Biden-Owens and say, ‘You know, Joe, this is not the way for you to go down in the history books. Step aside and let somebody else be chosen at the convention," Rove speculated.
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While contested party conventions are rare, there have been instances of political turmoil within a divided party during an election year. Rove cited the 1964 GOP convention, where then-Pennsylvania Governor Bill Scranton unsuccessfully attempted to block the nomination of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater.
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As for Biden, Rove suggested that the President seems resistant to the idea of stepping aside. He concluded with a pointed observation: "Joe Biden thinks he is the only person who can beat Donald Trump in the Democratic Party. He may be the only person who can lose to Donald Trump in the Democratic Party."
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