Former President Barack Obama has stated that President Donald Trump's behavior has driven him back into politics "more than I would have preferred," and that his time on the campaign trail has created "genuine tension" with former first lady Michelle Obama.
Obama's Political Involvement
In a profile published Monday by The New Yorker, Obama explained that Michelle Obama wants to see him easing up and spending more time with her. "She wants to see her husband easing up and spending more time with her, enjoying what remains of our lives," he said. "It does create a genuine tension in our household, and it frustrates her." He added, "I'm more forgiving of it, in the sense that I understand why people feel that way, because people aren't looking at me in historical comparison to other Presidents. They don't care about the fact that no other ex-President was the main surrogate for the Party for four election cycles after they left office."
The Obligation to Politics
The article, written by Peter Slevin, questions how much of an obligation Obama still has to politics. When asked what more he could do, Obama responded, "For me to function like Jon Stewart, even once a week, just going off, just ripping what was happening — which, by the way, I'm glad Jon's doing it — then I'm not a political leader, I'm a commentator." He also noted the difficulty of the media environment, saying, "The media environment is so difficult that people don't even know all the stuff I am doing, right? And, I think, when they do see me, then the sense is Well, why isn't he doing that every day instead of just during a midterm election, or during a referendum campaign around gerrymandering, or what have you?"
Michelle Obama's Stance
If Michelle Obama had her way, any deeper participation would be close to a hard no. Earlier this year, she was asked if her husband would consider a run for president in the event that Trump followed through on musings about seeking an illegal third term. "I hope not," she replied. "I would actively work against that. I would be at home working against it, you know. And maybe a lot of people would be like, 'Good, we don't want him anyway.'"
Recent Campaigning
The former president campaigned for Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger before their key victories for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, in November. He is now trying to shape messaging for the 2026 midterms and beyond by urging the Democratic Party to invest in younger candidates. "There is an element of, at some point, you age out," he said in February. "You're not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through."
