A Look At Barack Obama's Unlikely Friendship With John Boehner

The Republican and the Democratic parties represent two sides of a coin that never meet. Feuds between both sides are typical, primarily due to the difference in their approaches to government. However, in 2016, evidence proved that there was a forbidden alliance between the two political enemies: a friendship between then-U.S. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and former House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican. The secret bromance between Obama and Boehner stayed under the radar from 2011 to 2016 when Obama's retirement plan video skit was played at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

In the video, the two men are in a theater watching "Toy Story" together before Obama asks Boehner for advice about what to do with himself after retirement. Boehner, who had retired a year earlier, humorously told Obama to stop sending him LinkedIn requests, then suggested he take his time and be himself. The scene was followed by the two walking side-by-side, wearing matching sunshades and looking like buddies. Boehner's last act in the skit was offering Obama a cigarette, a habit Barack Obama had quit.

The politically forbidden bromance between former U.S. President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner started with a round of golf. In mid-2011, Obama, an avid golfer, invited Boehner for a round of golf at Joint Base Andrews, where they paired up against then-Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Governor John Kasich. The Obama-Boehner team won the game, earning two dollars each.

After the game, the men went for drinks and began their budget negotiations. Despite their different views, they were ready to work together to achieve their joint goal and leave a mark on their legacies. They sought to find a middle ground that would benefit the country. However, their ambitions broke down in 2012, with both parties pointing fingers at the other for its failure.

Despite the public conflict between the two men, an aide told Politico that Boehner and Obama exchanged calls more often than was publicly known. The aide also revealed something that many people never knew about Barack Obama, claiming that the former president received calls from Boehner sharing "snippets of political intelligence." This would have been highly criticized within conservative circles.

According to CNN, John Boehner's relationship with Barack Obama was one of the reasons that he resigned in October 2015. While serving as House Speaker, he faced pressure from the conservative Senate faction to adopt a tougher stance in negotiations with Obama, a demand he did not always fulfill. At the start of 2015, 25 Republicans had voted against Boehner, signaling a fading support from his party.

Then-president Obama was visibly taken by surprise by Boehner's resignation in 2015. Nevertheless, he was full of praise for the Ohio Republican, saying, "John Boehner is a good man. He is a patriot. He cares deeply about the House. He cares about his constituents and he cares about America." In a candid interview with Fox News, Boehner recalled Obama's words on his penultimate day in office: "He said, 'Boehner, man, I'm gonna miss you.'" (via The Hill).

Despite the fondness between the two men, the former House Speaker revealed sad details about his relationship with Obama in a 2015 interview with Golf Channel. He said, "The president has suggested, 'Hey, do you think it would be too much trouble to play golf again?' I have to look at him and say, 'Yes.'" (per ABC News). However, judging by their 2016 video, the politicians clearly didn't allow their political affiliations to stop them from being buddies.