{"id":29857,"date":"2026-05-06T04:19:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T04:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=29857"},"modified":"2026-05-06T04:19:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T04:19:33","slug":"barack-obama-says-trump-has-caused-genuine-tension-in-his-marriage-to-michelle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=29857","title":{"rendered":"Barack Obama says Trump has caused \u2018genuine tension\u2019 in his marriage to Michelle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"hydrate-root sc-1ihz57b-0\" data-component=\"SupportNSCNative\" data-loading=\"lazy\" data-theme-name=\"independent\">\n<div data-theme-wrapper=\"independent\" style=\"display:contents\">\n<aside class=\"sc-hez36s-0 dFpFuY\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-1 iBibVd\">\n<h3 data-testid=\"support-nsc-title\" class=\"sc-hez36s-2 flaoin\">Your support helps us to tell the story<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-8 juUDRT\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-13 cqPbFA\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-0 rAFIl sc-hez36s-16 jZSKtc\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-6 PdmgT\">\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content-container\" class=\"sc-aja53j-5 eZqxmv\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content\" class=\"sc-aja53j-4 eDkVwv\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"support-nsc-collapsed-content-tablet\" class=\"sc-hez36s-7 dbIJRT\">\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iOIawn\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iOIawn\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iOIawn\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"sc-1uza6dc-1 eRQajs\">Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-aja53j-1 keLMOw sc-aja53j-7 eMEmGu\"><span data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-dropdown-tablet\" class=\"sc-aja53j-3 dHXFkr\"><span data-action-type=\"Read more\" class=\"sc-aja53j-2 iKklLt\">Read more<\/span><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Barack Obama says that the demands of being a Democratic Party figurehead continue to weigh on his marriage \u2014 a full 10 years after he and former first lady Michelle Obama left <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/middle-east\/iran-us-war-live-trump-strait-of-hormuz-blockade-oil-b2969916.html\">the White House<\/a> for good.<\/p>\n<p>The nation\u2019s first Black president remains a cultural force in American politics, both on the left, where he is one of the party\u2019s most valued centrist voices, and on the right, where he remains a top target of anger and scorn \u2014 particularly in the eyes of Donald Trump, his successor and the current holder of his office.<\/p>\n<p>In a new interview <a rel=\"nofollow\" data-affiliate=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/redirect.viglink.com?&amp;key=9ed4af92937c872e0ab792f0310bab4e&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newyorker.com%2Fmagazine%2F2026%2F05%2F11%2Fbarack-obama-in-the-age-of-trump&amp;cuid=b2970240\">with <em>The New Yorker\u2019s<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>Peter Slevin, the 44th president reflected on how his hopes that Trump would be restricted by the guardrails of the presidency and the Constitution were quickly dissolved by reality, and how that reality almost immediately supercharged calls for Obama to speak out about Trump\u2019s first presidency, especially as he unveiled the first attempt to ban Muslims from traveling to the United States and later widely expanded U.S. immigration detention programs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"3\" class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 cAzNxv\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 YlsWU hgzWpY\">Barack Obama makes a face as they show his video during his speech at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner in 2011<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 gjqsiM\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->AP<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>That pressure, in turn, affects his marriage, Obama said. \u201cIt does create a genuine tension in our household, and it frustrates her,\u201d Barack said of Michelle Obama\u2019s thoughts on the constant calls for him to react. He noted that those efforts included returning to the campaign trail for consecutive cycles, whether that meant cutting ads or appearing directly with candidates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wants to see her husband easing up and spending more time with her, enjoying what remains of our lives,\u201d President Obama said.<\/p>\n<p>The former president has long been open to frank talk about how political life has affected his family, and especially how the scrutiny of being the first Black family living in the White House put unique pressures on both Michelle and their daughters, Sasha and Malia.<\/p>\n<p>But it could still be disappointing for the legions of Democratic voters who continue to hold out hope that Michelle herself would enter politics, possibly precipitating a return of the first family to the presidential residence.<\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats who spoke to <em>The New Yorker<\/em> for the same article called those hopes well-intentioned but misguided, and representative of hopes for a now-bygone era.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say that we are all a little na\u00efve if we think that can happen again. There\u2019s nostalgia for him, yet \u2014 how can I put this? \u2014 in the political world that I\u2019m in, there is an understanding that we are in a different time,\u201d said Sen. Tina Smith, a soon retiring Democrat from Minnesota.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"3\" class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 hJWrLM\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2229285680.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Many Democrats have urged Michelle Obama to run for office, but she has repeatedly expressed a lack of interest\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 YlsWU hgzWpY\">Many Democrats have urged Michelle Obama to run for office, but she has repeatedly expressed a lack of interest<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 gjqsiM\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Getty<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most recently, the former president worked to support efforts to trigger mid-decade redistricting in Virginia, where Democrats are hoping to redraw four congressional seats into their hands ahead of the midterm elections \u2014 part of a larger gerrymandering war begun by Republicans in Texas. His side\u2019s efforts succeeded, and the ballot measure passed by a narrow margin. The former president also supported California\u2019s efforts <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/obama-newsom-hochul-texas-redistricting-b2811428.html\">to do the same last year.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In his own interview, the former president added that his refusal to get even further involved with politics stemmed from his desire to not become a \u201ccommentator\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me to function like Jon Stewart, even once a week, just going off, just ripping what was happening\u2014which, by the way, I\u2019m glad Jon\u2019s doing it\u2014then I\u2019m not a political leader, I\u2019m a commentator,\u201d said Obama. He claimed that many Democrats do not see all of his involvement, further adding to frustrations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"3\" class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 bQboax\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2178039845.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Joe Biden and Barack Obama always had a complicated relationship, but it reportedly soured to some extent in 2024 amid the calls for Biden to drop out of the presidential race\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 YlsWU hgzWpY\">Joe Biden and Barack Obama always had a complicated relationship, but it reportedly soured to some extent in 2024 amid the calls for Biden to drop out of the presidential race<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 gjqsiM\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->AFP\/Getty<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>For some progressives, the dynamics are a bit different. Some of the same voices publicly grumbling about the former president\u2019s relative tendency to take on a background role in the party were publicly fuming after the 2020 primary when it was revealed that Obama had spoken to candidates, including Pete Buttigieg, after his former vice president, Joe Biden, won the South Carolina primary \u2014 beginning an avalanche that propelled Biden to victory over Bernie Sanders.<\/p>\n<p>Then, four years later, it was Biden loyalists, including members of the Biden camp itself outraged after Obama <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/biden-drop-out-when-obama-democrats-b2582158.html\">was reported to be among the Democrats<\/a> who wanted him to step aside and let Kamala Harris take over the presidential ticket following a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump. <\/p>\n<p>Not helping matters, some of the firmest calls for Biden to drop out came from the hosts of <em>Pod Save America<\/em>, all of whom served prominent roles in the Obama campaigns and White House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/obama-trump-michelle-marriage-b2970240.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting &#8230; <a title=\"Barack Obama says Trump has caused \u2018genuine tension\u2019 in his marriage to Michelle\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=29857\" aria-label=\"Read more about Barack Obama says Trump has caused \u2018genuine tension\u2019 in his marriage to Michelle\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Barack-Obama-says-Trump-has-caused-\u2018genuine-tension-in-his.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29857"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29859,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29857\/revisions\/29859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}