Pat Buchanan: 'Let's Hope' There's Not a Female President Until at Least '2040 or 2050

On Friday, the panel of the syndicated political talk show "The McLaughlin Group" debated whether a woman could be elected president in present-day America. However, the innocent debate morphed into controversy when conservative commentator Pat Buchanan said the U.S. would not see the first female president until the year "2040 or 2050."

The comments are almost certain to infuriate feminist groups and women's rights activists.

The segment posed the question "Where are the women?" and panelists talked about the fact that women have represented a larger voting block than men in every election since 1984, however, fewer women than men are elected to Congress and even fewer run for president.

"They have better things to do," panelist Eleanor Clift.

It was revealed that there are 83 men in the Senate compared to just 17 women and only 73 women compared to 360 men in the House.

“Let’s cut to the chase here, all right? When will the United States elect a female president? When? … I want a year. We’ve got four quadrennial cycles.”

“That late?” McLaughlin asked.

“Let’s hope so,” Buchanan added, before bursting out in laughter.

Clift made the bold prediction that Clinton will be the first female president in 2016 in response to Buchanan's joke.

McLaughlin said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "owes it to her gender" to run for president. He predicted the U.S. will see its first female president in 2028.

Watch Buchanan's comments below courtesy of McLaughlin Group, cut by MRC TV:

(H/T: Mediaite)