I may never see a woman elected president of the United States in my lifetime

Nancy Pelosi, former US Congresswoman and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has acknowledged that she may not see a woman elected as President of the United States in her lifetime.

The Democratic representative from California said in an interview with USA Today, shortly before her retirement after four decades in Congress, that she faced what she described as a “marble ceiling” that hinders the progress of women and racial minorities in politics and other professions. Pelosi added: “I did not think that the American people would be remiss in accepting the idea of ​​there being a woman president of the United States.”

Pelosi referred to the defeats suffered by her colleagues Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris against Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections, as well as the institutional resistance she faced during her rise in the pyramid of power in Congress. “I always thought a woman would be president before a woman became speaker of the House,” she said.

Pelosi commented on the timing of this achievement, saying: “I think it may not happen in my lifetime, but I believe that within the next generation a woman will serve as president.”

It should be noted that Pelosi’s statements intersect with previous statements by former first woman Michelle Obama, who said that the United States may not yet be ready for a woman to lead.

Pelosi joined Congress in 1988 as a representative of San Francisco, and won the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives for the first time among women, and held the position from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023.

Regarding her decision to retire at the age of 86, Pelosi said: “It is time. I have been ready for a while.”