Barack Obama, in a new interview, revealed he would not be taking any role in Joe Biden’s administration even if the president-elect offered it. He said his decision is premised on the fact that former First Lady Michelle Obama may divorce him after having to deal with his absence all through the period of his presidency.
Obama was interviewed by Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning ahead of the scheduled publication of his memoir, A Promised Land, slated for November 17th.
Obama said he would help Biden in any way he could, including offering him advice on policy directions. However, the former president said he didn’t see himself suddenly leaving for the White House to join Biden’s cabinet. He interjected that Biden doesn’t really need his advice and could do well on his own.
The soon-to-be-published memoir takes readers through the childhood of Obama and his venture into politics. It chronicled the speedy rise of Obama from his heydays in the US Senate to winning the presidency. In the book, he talked about how being president affected his marriage, disrupted his daughters’ lives, and the toll it had on his family life.
He recalled that his new role affected his wife’s legal profession, which meant that she couldn’t do the things she had always dreamed of. He said she had to abandon her profession where her impact could have been felt more and play the role of a first lady – a role she was bigger than by far. He said Michelle sacrificed her professional dreams to take care of the kids, which she went about doing dutifully.
Obama also analyzed the racist politics of President Donald Trump, who has refused to concede since losing the election. He suggested that when he won the seat of the president in 2008, the Republican Party was embittered, and this changed the party in so many ways.
He defended how he has supported his former vice, especially campaigning ceaselessly for him – something former presidents rarely do. He said the state of the nation warranted his being outspoken in order to change things. He advised Trump not to be a sore loser and take the honorable path by conceding defeat to ensure a smooth transition of power.
Obama also weighed in on the recent elections and concluded that the nation is more divided than before going by the voting pattern and media manipulations. He said he was very much concerned about this development.
Obama got to talk about adjusting to the life of an ordinary citizen once again after his presidency elapsed. He said his life has not really changed that much as he still gets chauffeured in his daily travels while surrounded by the ever-watchful eyes of the Secret Service.
Obama was also in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, where he talked about the emotional turmoil that the job of a president caused in his marriage. However, he said a fundamental trait that enabled them to pull through was their ability to talk things through, especially when they were undergoing a rough patch. He said they never lost their love and respect for each other while putting the kids first.
The new book deal offered to the Obamas is reportedly worth $65 million. It covers the memoir Becoming, written by Michelle in 2018. Michelle’s memoir has so far sold more than 10 million copies. Obama will be releasing a second volume in the lineup.
Asides from publishing new books, the Obamas have been busy with establishing their charitable organization and taking part in a production deal with Netflix.
