President Holding Down Fort for 1st Day of School

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President Barack Obama will be on daddy duty Tuesday as his oldest daughter, Malia, starts her first day of high school, First Lady Michelle Obama tells ET.

In a new interview Monday, the first lady says that while she's preparing for her Tuesday night speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, the president will be holding down the fort back home.

"I hope they watch [my speech] at home," says the first lady. "But if there's homework, I'm not going to get too upset about that."

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The first lady also tells ET that the first daughters, Malia and Sasha, won't be heavily involved with the convention this week due to their school commitments, but that they will be on hand for their dad's big speech on Thursday.

"We have always structured our lives where our kids come first and their involvement in politics is at their own discretion," says Mrs. Obama. "And trust me, there hasn't been a time when they've said, 'I think I want to watch you do a rally rather than go to this sleepover,' it's never happened -- surprisingly so. But they're always welcome and they do enjoy the campaign trail but the older they get the more full lives they have. You know, they're on sports teams, they've got friends, they've got activities ...They're living normal teenage lives and that's exactly how Barack and I would want it."

When asked if she has any political aspirations of her own, she says, "I will never run for political office. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I think we need more strong women out there. We need to cultivate that leadership because we do need more strong leaders like Hillary Clinton. That just doesn't happen to be my passion or my particular gift."

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In terms of the question of what she will wear for her speech, Michelle says, "Like any woman, I have no idea yet. I brought many options and it's going to depend on how I feel that evening so, you know, stay tuned." She added that it will be most likely be something bright, since she doesn't want to blend into the background.

Michelle also comments on Clint Eastwood's now-infamous speech at the Republican National Convention, in which he carried on a mock conversation with an empty chair, upon which he said President Obama sat. She says that she hadn't seen it herself, but that she heard it was "memorable."

For more with the first lady, tune in to ET Tuesday night!