Barack Obama's Friendship With Hillary Clinton Got Off To A Rocky Start

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton might appear to be besties now, but they used to be political (and personal) rivals. Back in 2008 when Barack and Hillary were both contending for the Democratic presidential nomination, they had some fiery exchanges, and apparently, Michelle Obama even took to referring to Hillary by an unflattering nickname.

Longtime pundits would be able to recall the fiery debate between Hillary and Barack in January 2008. As the forerunners for the presidential nomination, it was time to take off the kid gloves and get personal — and that's exactly what both candidates did. Aside from accusing Hillary's husband, former president Bill Clinton, of distorting the truth to further his wife's campaign during a previous interview, Barack also insinuated during the debate that she could not connect with the less fortunate while he had firsthand experience working with people in the slums. Hillary clapped back by pointing out Barack's lack of political experience, while the latter accused her of devious attempts to foil his campaign. Barack was likely referring to the incident in 2007 where Hillary's campaign tried to use his past drug use against him; he had already written candidly about this in his already-released memoir, "Dreams from My Father," which rendered the attempted smear campaign useless.

Tension between the Obamas and Clintons ran so high that Michelle reportedly even coined a nickname for Hillary. In his book, "Blood Feud," Edward Klein claimed Michelle took to referring to Hillary as "Hildebeest," and this continued even after Barack won the White House. Bill didn't particularly like the new first family either, reportedly telling his friends at the time, "I hate that man Obama more than any man I've ever met, more than any man who ever lived." However, in recent years, both parties seem to have changed their mind about each other.

Bill Clinton might've hated Barack Obama, and Michelle Obama might've referred to Hillary Clinton as "Hildebeest," but these two families eventually managed to put their differences aside, and Barack even nominated Hillary to be his secretary of state. When she was appointed to the position, Barack sang her praises. "She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and toughness, and a remarkable work ethic," he said in a speech (via NPR).

Relations between the Obamas and Clintons appeared to remain amicable in the years that followed, but Hillary still had to overcome plenty of obstacles to finally land the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 — and she did so with Barack's help. In July of that year, he endorsed Hillary for president. "I have run my last campaign, but I am ready to pass the baton, and I know Hillary Clinton and I know she will run a good race," Barack said in his endorsement speech (via BBC). "I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," he added (via Politico). Previously, he had referred to her as "one of the finest secretaries of state we've ever had" so his endorsement didn't come as such a big surprise.

Hillary has undergone a stunning transformation over the years, but so has her relationship with Barack. After the former president's endorsement, Hillary expressed her gratitude to Barack during an interview with Politico. "We went from being fierce competitors to true friends, and I'm very grateful for this endorsement," she said.