Former US president’s prediction for first female president re-emerges in 35yo video

Former US president Gerard Ford made bold election prediction that is starting to sound familiar.

A former US president’s prediction from 35 years ago about how the country would get its first female president has re-emerged for its surprising closeness to recent events.

Gerald Ford, who was the 38th president of the United States, said in 1989 it was only a matter of time before a female was made president but “it won’t happen in the normal course of events”.

Mr Ford, himself, became president in the most unusual circumstances.

He did not win a general election for president or vice president. He became vice president in 1973 after Spiro Agnew resigned and president Richard Nixon nominated him, which was confirmed by the Congress. He then became president in 1974 after Mr Nixon resigned.

Former US president Gerald Ford predicting how the first woman would become president.

Speaking to students at a conference in Iowa in 1989 about the role of former presidents, the Republican was asked by a child what advice he would give a young lady wanting to become president.

He explained to the students how he believed it would happen.

“Either the Republican or Democrat political party will nominate a man for president and a woman for vice president,” he said.

“And the woman and man will win, so you’ll end up with a president, a male, and a vice president, a female.”

That part happened in 2021 when Joe Biden was sworn in as president and Kamala Harris as vice president, the first woman to hold the position.

Kamala Harris is sworn in as the 49th US Vice President on January 20, 2021 – the first woman to hold the position. Picture: Brendan Smialowski / AFP

Mr Ford continued: “In that term of office of the president, the president will die and the woman will become president under the law or constitution.

“Once that barrier is broken, from then on men better be careful because they’ll have a hard, hard time ever even getting a nomination in the future.”

While Mr Biden has not died, he did pull out of the 2024 presidential race amid heightened concerns about his health, and acknowledged it is time for “fresh” and “younger voices”.

Unlike in Mr Ford’s prediction, Ms Harris will need to win an election to become the president. Picture: Montinique Monroe/Getty Images/AFP

It won’t be as easy for Ms Harris to take the presidency as Mr Ford predicted.

Despite calls from Republicans for Mr Biden to resign immediately, which would leave Ms Harris in charge, he has made it clear he intends to remain in the job until the end of his term in January.

Mr Biden has endorsed Ms Harris, 59, to face Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, 78, at the November election.

Ms Harris confirmed on Tuesday she has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to win her party’s nomination for president, but this still needs to be formalised.

In 1989, Mr Ford had predicted the country would get a female president “in the next four or eight years.” Many more years have passed without this yet coming true.