‘Genuine Tension’: Obamas Blame Marital Problems On Trump
Former President Barack Obama said pressure to participate in the Democratic Party campaign created tension between him and his wife.
The New Yorker interview with Obama, published Monday, explains how their marriage has been affected by Barack’s continued involvement in politics. The former president cited President Donald Trump as the reason for his involvement. (RELATED: Obama claims Israel also tried to drag him into war with Iran)
“She wants to see her husband relax and spend more time with her, enjoying what’s left of our lives,” Obama said, adding that pressure continued to be politically active against the Trump administration, despite the precedent of former presidents withdrawing from politics altogether. “It creates real tension in our home and it frustrates her.”
Obama said he did his best to accommodate him, but noted that he understood why people were turning to him despite “the fact that no other ex-president was the party’s primary surrogate for four election cycles after they left office.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 20: Former U.S. President Barack Obama (L) greets former first lady Michelle Obama as he arrives to speak on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Michelle struggled through her tenure as first lady, saying on her “The Light Podcast” that leaving Trump’s first inauguration left her “out of control.”[y] sobbing” for half an hour on Air Force One.
“It was a privilege to serve, but it was hard and it was hard on our family, it was hard on my daughters growing up in the spotlight,” she added.
Michelle, like Barack, has also taken to speaking out against Trump and his administration through new media such as podcasts. Barack and Michelle delivered prime-time speeches at the 2020 and 2024 Democratic National Conventions, according to the New Yorker.
Along with their party commitments, Barack told the outlet they were busy writing books and their commitments to the Obama foundation and library.
In 2025, the former president said on Marc Maron’s podcast that he “had a big deficit with my wife and he had to somehow get by.”
That same year, at an event in London, Barack said he was “digging [himself] out of the hole [he] find [himself] with Michelle,” the Daily Mail reported.
“Now I’m pretty much at ground level.”
Michelle Obama previously denied rumors that she and Barack would divorce in April 2025.
