Barack Obama has openly shared insights about his marriage to Michelle Obama, revealing some unexpected truths.
Married since 1992, the Obamas entered the White House in 2009 and remained there until the end of Obama’s presidency in 2017.
The former president has acknowledged that the demands of his presidency placed pressure on their marriage. Over the years, there has been persistent speculation about their relationship, with some even spreading divorce rumors online.
During an appearance at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York on Thursday (April 4), Obama addressed various subjects, including his perspective on Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The 63-year-old also mentioned that he is in the process of completing the second volume of his presidential memoirs and took the opportunity to address America’s gun control policies.
According to the Daily Beast, Obama took a moment to reflect on his marriage with Michelle in a conversation with College President Steven Tepper.
“I was in a deep deficit with my wife,” Obama remarked. “So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things.”
Michelle Obama has been candid about their marriage as well and has shared some of the quirks she has had to adapt to over the years.
On her podcast, IMO, Michelle pointed out that Barack had difficulty with a specific aspect of their relationship.
She commented: “Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what ‘on time’ was for me.”
Jokingly referring to his Hawaiian background, she continued: “Because he was on that island time.”
Michelle further explained that Obama would begin preparing only at the scheduled time of departure.
“You know, I’ve got this husband who’s like, when it’s time to leave, it’s 3, he’s getting up and going to the bathroom,” she elaborated.
“And I was like, dude, dude, a 3 o’clock departure means you’ve done all that, you know? It’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses, you know, at the 3 o’clock departure.”
Fortunately, Michelle noted that his punctuality has improved over the years.
Throughout their 30-year marriage, she observed that Obama has become more timely, and mentioned that their daughters, Malia and Sasha, have learned to arrive ahead of schedule when doing activities with her.
However, during his presidency, Obama’s time management was sometimes lacking. The Washington Post reported in 2014 that he was over 35 hours late to various scheduled events.