Barack Obama made a shocking honest admission about his relationship with Michelle Obama. While speaking to students at Hamilton College on Thursday, the former president quipped that he's working to recover from a "deep deficit" in his marriage to Michelle. "I was in a deep deficit with my wife," Barack, 63, told Hamilton College President Steven Tepper in a conversation Thursday, the Daily Beast reported.
"So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things." The former U.S. president has previously hinted that serving two consecutive terms from 2009 to 2017 had a negative impact on his relationship with the former first lady.
Obama's Big Admission
When Tepper asked the former president what he had been doing lately, Obama replied that he had primarily been focused on writing the second part of his memoir. "This is like 50 term papers. I mean, it just goes on forever," he said. "I'm hoping to get to the finish line on that."
While speaking at Hamilton College, Obama also brought up Trump, expressing disbelief at what the Republican leader has managed to get away with.
A stunned Obama told the students, "Imagine if I had done any of this." "It's unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me, or a whole bunch of my predecessors," he also said.
Rumors of a possible divorce between the Obamas have circulated for months, particularly after the former president attended both the late President Jimmy Carter's funeral and Donald Trump's inauguration without Michelle by his side.
"Let me just say this: It sure helps to be out of the White House and to have a little more time with her," Obama said in a May 2023 interview, also taking a moment to commend Michelle for being "understanding" of his flaws.
As for the 61-year-old, she shared in December 2022 that there was a stretch of ten years when she "couldn't stand" her husband, especially when their daughters — Malia, now 26, and Sasha, 23 — were young. She clarified that she wasn't "being catty by saying this."
Michelle also said that "marriage isn't 50/50— ever, ever."
Decoding Their Marriage
She explained at the time, "There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, [I'm] 40. But guess what? Ten years — we've been married 30 — I would take 10 bad years over 30. It's just how you look at it."
In an April 2023 interview, she explained that she speaks honestly about her relationship because "marriage is hard," and many young couples give up on it over issues that are simply part of the commitment.
She also admitted that the sacrifices and compromises that come with marriage "aren't always enjoyable."
Obama and Michelle Obama, who tied the knot in October 1992, have recently faced growing speculation about a possible split.
However, a source claimed at the time that Michelle has just mentally "moved on" from life in Washington, D.C.
Someone who previously worked with the couple also told Page Six, ""They don't pretend that they have this Camelot relationship. They're not trying to present that they're this magical couple."
When it comes to dealing with online speculation about her personal life, Michelle said she's pretty sure she's never "once looked at a comment section," adding last month, "You cannot live through social media. Don't let that negative energy enter into your space. These are people who don't know you. A lot of this stuff is made up, and it does not feed you."
