As the day that the Obamas will officially leave the White House draws ever nearer, Barack Obama has given his final interview as President of the United States.
Sitting down with CBS’s 60 Minutes in the US, he discusses his eight years in the top job as well as the more personal side of living with and raising his family in the White House and under the intense spotlight.
“Michelle never fully took to the scrutiny. I mean, she’s thrived as a first lady, but it’s not her preference,” he revealed of wife Michelle.
“And so she was the hardest sell. And she never fully embraced being in the public spotlight, which is ironic, given how good she is.
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“But having said that, she would acknowledge and I certainly feel that we just have a lot of memories here. You know, our kids grew up here. Some of our best friends have been made here in this place. There have been moments that were highlights for us that are going be hard to duplicate.”
Despite her hesitation, the President says that Michelle was always believed in him.
“I think I’ve said this story before,” he recalled. “You know, she used to say to our friends, ‘Barack’s exactly the kind of guy I want to be president. I just wish he didn’t want to do it when I was married to him.’”
As for his daughters, Sasha and Malia, Obama says “they’re ready to go.”
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“The girls, obviously, you know, they are now of an age in which the constraints of Secret Service and bubbles and all that stuff has gotten pretty old.”
And what’s next for the Obamas? The Presdient says he’s looking forward to “getting out of the bubble.”
“I’m going to try to get some sleep and do a little puttering because I haven’t had a lot of chance to reflect and absorb all this. I do not expect to be behind a desk a lot.
The family plan to remain in Washington whilst Sasha,15, completes high school, moving to a $6m home, which for them will surely seem like quite the downsize.
