Barack Obama has opened up about his marriage to Michelle Obama, offering a rare glimpse into their relationship—and admitting he’s still trying to make up for lost time.
The former president, 63, appeared at Hamilton College in New York on Thursday (April 4), where he touched on everything from gun laws to Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. But one of the most talked-about moments came when he candidly addressed his relationship with the former First Lady.
“I was in a deep deficit with my wife,” Obama said during a conversation with College President Steven Tepper. “So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things.”
The Obamas have been married since 1992 and spent eight years in the White House — years that Barack has previously admitted put a strain on their marriage. Over the years, online rumors have even swirled around their relationship, with some speculating about tension or divorce—claims the couple has never confirmed.
Michelle Obama hasn’t shied away from discussing the ups and downs of their relationship either. On her podcast, she once revealed the one habit of Barack’s that drove her a little crazy: his relaxed attitude about time.
“Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what ‘on time’ was for me,” she said, poking fun at his Hawaiian roots. “Because he was on that island time.”
Michelle explained that her husband would often begin getting ready at the exact time they were supposed to leave.
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“You know, I’ve got this husband who’s like, when it’s time to leave—it’s 3—he’s getting up and going to the bathroom,” she said. “And I was like, dude, dude, a 3 o’clock departure means you’ve done all that… Don’t start looking for your glasses at 3!”
Despite the early struggles with punctuality, Michelle admitted her husband has improved over their 30-year marriage—and joked that their daughters, Malia and Sasha, now know to arrive early whenever they’re meeting up with her.
That said, timekeeping didn’t always go smoothly during Obama’s presidency either. In 2014, The Washington Post reported that he had racked up over 35 hours of delays across scheduled public events.
While the former president is currently finishing the second volume of his presidential memoirs, it’s clear that at home, he’s focused on something even more personal—staying out of the “deficit” with Michelle.
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In 1993, a deaf baby was left on my doorstep. I took on the role of his mother, but I had no idea what the future would hold for him.
