Barack Obama makes brutally honest revelation about his marriage to Michelle Obama
Topics: Michelle Obama, Politics, Sex and Relationships, US News
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: David Hume Kennerly via Bank of America/Getty Images
Topics: Michelle Obama, Politics, Sex and Relationships, US News
Former US president Barack Obama has made a revelation about his marriage to Michelle Obama.
Barack - who served two terms in the White House between 2009 and 2017 - opened up about his relationship during a chat at Hamilton College last week.
In the past, the couple have spoken openly about their marriage, and the highs and lows they've experienced over 33 years.
Touching on a range of subjects, including Donald Trump's second term in office, and his recent tariff announcement, Barack also spoke about his relationship, explaining he was 'in a deep deficit with [his] wife'.
Advert
“I was in a deep deficit with my wife,” Barack told Hamilton College President Steven Tepper.
“So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things.”
Back in 2023, Barack hinted that being out of office gave him more time with his wife and family.
“Let me just say this: It sure helps to be out of the White House and to have a little more time with her,” he told CBS.
He went on to explain that during his time as president, the couple's daughters, Malia and Sasha were Michelle's number one priority.
"And so I did not fully appreciate, I think — as engaged of a father as I was — the degree of stress and tension for her knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment, but that we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn't normal," he said.
Michelle, meanwhile, has also opened up about their marriage in the past.
In an interview with CBS, she said she 'couldn't stand' her husband for many years when their children were small.
"People think I'm being catty by saying this — it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband," she said.
"And guess when it happened? When those kids were little.
"And for 10 years while we're trying to build our careers and, you know, worrying about school and who's doing what and what, I was like, 'Ugh, this isn't even'.
"And guess what? Marriage isn't 50/50, ever, ever.
"There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, 40, but guess what? 10 years — we've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 — it's just how you look at it.
"... And a lot of young people quit on marriage over things that are just a part of the commitment.
"We've been married for 30 years. If I fell out with him for 10, and we had a great 20 years. I'd take those odds anytime."