Barack Obama Reveals Michelle Wasn't Happy About Him Running For President
Former president, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama always look like relationship goals, but apparently that wasn't always the case. He admitted that he and Michelle have had their share of ups and downs in their marriage. Barack revealed in his new memoir, A Promised Land, that Michelle was less than thrilled when she found out he wanted to run for president, per People. Before speaking with her about whether or not to run, Barack revealed he had already made steps towards a presidential campaign.
"She gave me a hard look and got up from the couch," he wrote in his book. "'God, Barack ... When is it going to be enough?' Before I could answer, she'd gone into the bedroom and closed the door." And after being elected, Barack said that things with his wife became even more strained at times.
He confessed he felt an undercurrent of tension in their relationship that kept him awake at night. "There were nights when, lying next to Michelle in the dark, I'd think about those days when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered," he wrote, "and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return."
Barack Obama admits his presidency led to high and lows in his marriage
Barack said while things could be sometimes tough, they also experienced tremendous happiness while he was president as well. He explained he looks at the situation now in its entirety. "There were great joys in the White House," he told People. "There was never a time where we didn't recognize what an extraordinary privilege it was to be there."
The former president recently told 60 Minutes that he's still thankful to Michelle for putting up with an all-consuming job, according to The Hill. "The fact that she put up with it and forgave me is — was an act of grace that I am grateful for and I'm not sure I deserved it." He also said during the interview the toll a presidency takes on families is very real.
However, Barack told People that luckily his girls did well with the experience of being raised in the White House. "Most importantly, our children emerged intact and they are wonderful, kind, thoughtful, creative — and not entitled — young women," he said. "So that's a big sigh of relief."