In an interview on The Pivot Podcast, Obama, 63, shared his thoughts with co-hosts Channing Crowder, Ryan Clark, and Fred Taylor, former NFL players. He remarked that he wasn’t fazed by the attention he received, despite his high-profile position at the time.
The conversation began when Crowder, a former linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, shared his own experiences as a young athlete and how he managed to stay on the “straight and narrow.”
He playfully asked Obama if he experienced an increase in attention because of his looks and status as president.
Obama joked, “First of all, I don’t know if Michelle’s going to be watching this,” referencing his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama. He went on to explain that he felt differently about the attention due to his age when he became president.
He noted, “You guys as NFL players and athletes generally… get famous young, at a time when the attention that you’re talking about may be flattering and fun. By the time people really knew who I was, I was 43 years old. I was married, had two kids, had gone grocery shopping, had washed my car. I was a regular guy in that sense.”
Obama added that he was not overly concerned with the attention he received. He recounted instances where women acted inappropriately, mentioning that there are photos online of women grabbing his butt during his presidency.
He remarked that the Secret Service likely didn’t intervene in such situations because the women involved were often “like old ladies and stuff, so they’re not going to wrestle them down on the ground.”
He emphasized the importance of staying focused and committed to his family, saying, “My wife is such an extraordinary woman, such an amazing partner, that you just try to stay focused, stay on the straight and narrow. And also, look, kids change your life. The idea of disappointing your kids is something that I ain’t going there.”
Barack and Michelle married in 1992, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, were 10 and 7 when they moved into the White House after his 2008 victory. At 47, he became one of the youngest presidents in U.S. history and the first Black president.
