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Former President Barack Obama said his increased political involvement during Donald Trump’s presidency created“genuine tension” with his wife, Michelle Obama.
In a profile with The New Yorker on Monday (May 4), Obama said that Trump’s actions in office have drawn him back into politics “more than [he] would have preferred” and that this has frustrated Michelle.
“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. 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.”
Obama has recently focused on helping Democrats ahead of the November midterms.
When asked specifically what more he could be doing to combat Trump’s policies, Obama claimed that any deeper involvement now would gradually diminish his influence, and that the media makes it difficult for people to see all that he is already doing.
“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?’” he said. “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.”
Trump himself has recently begun accusing Obama of treason in various Truth Social posts.
He shared an AI-generated cartoon posted on Monday showing Obama bowing to Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, with the caption “Traitors Bow.”
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