"I have been trying to dig myself out" - Barack Obama talks about developing a 'deep deficit' during his time as the President 

Former President of the United States, Barack Obama, opened up about the state of his personal life after the end of his two terms as President from 2008 to 2017. In a conversation at Hamilton College with the College President, Steven Tepper, on April 3, Obama spoke candidly about making up for lost time with his wife, Michelle Obama.

According to the transcript of the interview posted to Medium, the former President was asked about what he has been up to after leaving the White House. Obama shared his current engagements and also mentioned that he tries to spend more time with his wife. Obama said:

“Look I was in a deep deficit with my wife, so I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things.”

About what President Barack Obama has been up to apart from spending time with his family, he said:

“Well, right now, at the at the moment, I’m splitting time between the work for the foundation. Michelle and I set up the Obama Foundation to train the next generation of leaders here in the United States and around the world, and that keeps me busy.”

We might even be getting a new book from President Obama soon, who is already the author of four books. About writing, Obama said:

“I am also finishing the second half of my presidential memoirs, which in case any of you feel sorry for yourself, this is like 50 term papers. I mean, it just goes on forever. But people ask me, ‘Do you enjoy writing?’ I say, ‘Absolutely not,’ but I do enjoy having written when it’s finished. I’m hoping to get to the finish line on that.”

About the former first couple, Michelle and Barack Obama’s relationship

The now 61-year-old couple, Barack and Michelle, met in 1989 while working for a Chicago law firm. Michelle recounted her first meeting with Barack Obama in a conversation with the Sun Times, saying:

“I was charmed. I was pleasantly surprised by who he turned out to be”

As per the publication, the couple started dating at the time, and Barack Obama proposed to Michelle two years later over dinner.

According to Daily Mail, the couple, who married in 1992, had two daughters—Malia, who was born in 1998, and Sasha, who was born in 2001.

The former First Lady, Michelle Obama, has been candid about the sacrifices she made so that her husband could have a career in politics. Vox notes that Michelle gave Barack Obama the push to start his political career by running for Illinois State Senate in 1996. According to the news outlet, Michelle wrote in her book Becoming that she wanted to support her husband, who had previously supported all her career decisions. Michelle said:

“he was the lone person who had waved me forward when I wanted to leave my law career…in our six years together, he hadn’t once doubted my instincts or my capabilities.”

Vox also reported that Michelle wrote about the choices Barack Obama had to make during his political career. She wrote:

“it was almost as if every day he were forced to cast another vote, between family and politics, politics and family.”

Fast forward to after Obama’s presidency, when Michelle spoke to NPR’s Life Kit in 2022 about relationships and marriage. While noting that relationships demand clarity, Michelle said:

“I think it's important for us to ... not to glamorize what a partnership feels like because then young people quit too soon. They quit before they've really played out the full scenario.”

While speaking to CBS Mornings about Michelle’s earlier conversation about the sacrifice involved in marriage and the difficulties she had to endure while the family was in the White House, Barack Obama said:

“Let me just say this, it sure helps to be out of the White House. And to have a little more time with her…about children, Michelle, when our girls were growing up, that was priority number one, two, three and four. And so I did not fully appreciate, I think, as engaged of a father as I was, the degree of stress and tension for her, knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment, but that we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn’t normal.”

Continuing, Obama laughed and said,

“Now that they’re doing good, she is a little more forgiving of all my flaws.”

There is no doubt that Michelle and Barack Obama have been a model couple throughout their nearly 33 years of marriage. As former President Obama looks forward to life after leading the United States for two terms, his fans, well-wishers, and supporters look forward to what is next for him.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

Comment