The Final Interview With The Obamas (Full Interview) | PEN | People

We survived and we're here, so this is the last time People Magazine will sit down with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House to sit down with them at the White House for his

final

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interview

as President and First Lady. lady, it was just great to see the arc of this historic journey. We talked about what's next for them, how they feel about the transition to the next president, and what life has been like for them living in the White House for the past eight years. They talked to us about everything from seeing from raising his daughters in that fishbowl to the relationship the president developed with his mother-in-law and what Michelle really thinks of her father's jokes that she tried to cut. the cheek that has been cutting that is a queen Michelle and the Italian Sacha with his jokes that scared them away here is the

people

in the White House with the Obamas the

final

here we are in the White House the Red Room just a little more lady.

Obama, you said last summer: I wake up every morning in a house built by slaves and I see my daughter's two beautiful young black girls heading to school saying goodbye to their father, the President of the United States, do you have that thought? your mind the day you moved in oh no no that's too deep you're not moving the day you move in you're frantic you're trying to figure out where the bathrooms are and what this door leads to I'm referring to the chaotic nature of the transition to the family, I mean it's gentle but at the same time it's very surreal and you don't have time to reflect or think about the meaning or the magnitude of what you're doing until months after you've done it.

I've lived in that house, so maybe that thought came in the summer, maybe it was summer. I started when they were actually playing on the grass, but that's it, it's a whirlwind that comes into this life from a relative state of normality when that symbolism hits you. It must have been, it must have been a very powerful moment for you, yes, yes. I mean, you know there are so many surreal and powerful moments, you know, watching my mother transition into this house knowing where she comes from, even poorer than working class. her first class education until seeing her standing on Truman's balcony and representing this country is the first grandmother.

I mean, to me those moments are as surreal as watching the girls go through that because their life was so different than anything I could have imagined let alone. What we have experienced here with her in the White House. My first

interview

with Michelle in 2007, her mom was there and you know we included her in our photo shoot that day with the girls, so People magazine has always had a special relationship with her. Marian Robinson, how did that experience of living with your mother-in-law bring you together in a way you didn't expect? I love my mother-in-law, first of all, she protects me because of Michelle, so if you know that Michelle is mad at me or something, she'll be like he's a good guy, stop it and thank you mom, but we were already very, very nearby.

She was invaluable in providing continuity and perspective for our daughters because as good a mother as Michelle is, I try to do my best as a parent to have that intergenerational relationship so that they are with their grandmother in the same way that they were in 74th and Euclid in the Southland South Shore neighborhood, where her mother's house is and where Michelle grew up, and knowing that even though you're in this different environment, there's a continuity there and you know it was also fun to watch her discover things because Michelle said that she grew up in a much more restricted time and place and I think for a lot of African Americans of a certain generation and they didn't always allow themselves to dream big about what they could experience and sometimes Michelle's mother's instinct is well, she shouldn't do that, you know, so Michelle, okay, let's go to Rome and the Vatican. meeting the Pope, well, suddenly she's there and she's looking at the Sistine Chapel and she has an audience with the Holy See and it's magical to her and she loves it, so in a way you also get an idea of ​​how much progress we've made to date. through her eyes and through the experiences she is having during this administration there was a huge garden planted during this administration The Girl Scouts slept on the south lawn there were hip-hop dances the White House has been a lot It's fun for her to attend.

I think one of the most enduring legacies of the Obama presidency is that the president, the first lady, did everything she could to make this high office the highest of offices truly accessible to every American and every American child, So, while it's always been a cliché, anyone can become president. I think they actually put a face to that. I've been here for many innovative activities, including sleeping on the South Lawn with the Girl Scouts. You have cleaned the furniture. hip-hop classes in these rooms, was it a conscious decision that you were going to make the fun of the White House accessible in a way that it hadn't been before and what was the one idea that came to you and you finally said that No? too crazy, oh we do that, yeah I've done a lot of things so I'm not sure there were any limits to your crazy, probably something I can't even, but yeah, it was a conscious effort, I mean we've talked. about wanting this to open up this house as widely as possible and making sure that

people

feel like this is their home, people who wouldn't normally have access to these walls.

You know that it is important for young people, particularly for our children of all backgrounds, of all races and of all socioeconomic levels, to feel that they have a place in the house of the nation and, to do this, we must do things that make them feel comfortable too, and if it's hip-hop dancing, let's do it yourself. knowing if it's a sleepover on the South Lawn with the Girl Scouts we won't do it, let's try it, let's breathe a little bit of why in this place and it also helps that we have kids, you know, I mean, we think about what activities they would do.

I love seeing here We know what the boys don't know what our girls want to do and it has helped them be willing to go to some of the things with us. Some things will help you as time went on. They are all like you. I noticed that we hardly saw any rain this year, but that's what teenagers know. I think it's true, from the beginning there was this notion that if you break traditions and do things in a different way, somehow the dignity of the position or the reverence that has been held. somehow it has changed and we never believed it, hello friend Obama and Michelle, except live from Brooklyn.

Are they going to have a big party before you? If so, unfortunately we're going to have a big party before I leave office, but I'll be honest. It's going to be after bed, it's going to be kind of an adult party, but if you want to come and see some of the Christmas decorations, we'll see if we can get in touch with the President and Mrs. Obama has always been very relaxed and open and even though they've always been Very careful to protect Sasha and Malia's privacy, they are also proud parents who can't help but tell funny stories about the girls or cry when thinking about them.

Going off to college, they are both very, very proud of their daughters Sasha and Malia. They feel that, despite the incredibly strange life the girls must have had for the past eight years, they have really managed to give them some normality, stability, and discipline. who truly believe that their two daughters are great girls and now great young women, their daughters will miss living here or are really ready for some more normalcy than this place offers, but look, they're ready to get out. fresh out of their parents' house, the fact that their parents' house is the White House may add to it, but Emily is going to college, she's a grown woman, and I know you're well aware that she's still legally our baby, but Sasha, you know, is in her way and I think there is a sentimentality, but in this place they have had so many incredible experiences and the people here, the staff, are part of the family.

I think it's different for them than most kids in that when they leave, they win. I won't be able to come home in many ways and I know Mele is talked about that and maybe regrets not having that home base in the same room as you know they love their rooms and what memories they have made there , so it's over, but there they look better, they are ready for each other, they are ready to leave the nest, yes, I don't think they are ready, but they certainly did it before. For eight years you as a couple lived under such intense pressure that few people can understand what effect it had on your marriage.

Yes, it has definitely brought us closer. I mean, bro talks about this all the time. I mean, before we moved here, he spent most of it. of our marriage, particularly with young children traveling in some capacity when he was a state senator, we stayed in Chicago and he traveled back and forth from Springfield and Illinois and then became a US citizen. Senator because I had a profession, we stayed in Chicago, he traveled back and forth, so it wasn't until we moved to the White House that we were together seven days a week and we were able to have dinner together that he had time to train to the women's teams. and you know, going to all the events, you know, yes, work, you know, comes with stress, I'm sure you know, I always say that no one knows what it's like to wake up and look at the morning paper and know that every headline, well or bad, it's your responsibility wherever it's happening in the world there's a weight that no other person, not even in management, really understands, so there's that and when you feel that burden you know you really have to resort to normalcy and the love of your family, you know, I think probably some of the best moments for Barack are when he could go up in that elevator, get to the second floor, sit at the table and nobody would care about anything he does, you know ? not at all, I mean, literally, I just talked, talked, he would be the last four, oh, by the way, dead, oh, yeah, what did you do?, uh, yeah, they usually get up and leave, but when it gets to me , I already had an interesting conversation with the Prime Minister, thank you Owen, so I have to go do my homework, I'm sorry, but that's a base, you know, the experience, um, and our journey together, you know, I want say, we have, you know, I wish we could have done more.

I mean, there was a lot of divide and conquer, you know, I might travel when the girls were on vacation, but the trips that we took as a family or the ones that we will remember for the rest of our lives and their trips that you don't take, they don't. it's a normal family vacation and those experiences have definitely brought us together in ways that we wouldn't have if we weren't well here and I also think seeing Michelle as first lady has just increased, you know, my awe and respect for her because somehow she had to adapt to a life she may not have chosen for herself, but there is also no plan to be first lady and see that she and her team can shape the culture and have such an impact on our military families. and about health and wellness, and you know it's going to be both really impactful on policy but also fun, you know it's fun when you see your spouse shine and she shows it to you to President Obama and this is Obama: Shake it up and I'm five . and I want to know who tells the most jokes, oh God, the president tells the most bad jokes.

I will say that Jacob Michelle is actually funnier than me, mainly because he makes fun of me, but I can't make fun of her. I think it's fair, so she makes fun of her a lot. about my ears oh they're so big she talks about how gray my hair has turned so white she talks about how slow I talk oh god he's slow I can't say anything about her and she gets mad because you can't so I guess It's funniest when we went to the White House to interview the President and the First Lady. I was very curious to know how you felt about the last election.

You know, no one had fought more and more openly for Hillary Clinton than Michelle Obama. on an emotional extremity really in this little campaign how was it an election night for you did I go to bed yes she did I did it um you know I tend not to do it you know I don't watch debates I don't like watching politics speech I've never had , I barely did it with him, you know, you just know, once you do what you can do, you know, then you rest easy, it was in the hands of the American people.

I think everything I felt about the election, I said and You know, I and I stand that this is our democracy and this is how it works, so we're ready to work with the next administration and make sure that it's as successful as possible because That is the best for this country. I think it's worth noting that he knows her wife. Obama's mantra throughout the campaign was: when they go down, we go up. I think they have stood tall and that is how they want history to remember them and the closure of their administration. I think, like I said after the election.

There are profound differences in vision between us and the incoming administration, but ultimately we are all on the same team. Watching you two get to the White House eight years ago. You know it was a symbol of how far we've comearrived. you see as culture then during the elections and since the elections there has been so much misogyny, racism and intolerance in the cultural discourse many people feel that we have taken a big step back do you feel that we have taken a step? I look back, but people always ask He always seems so calm and I tell people now part of his native Hawaii, if it's really good, you can always take a dip in the ocean, that will show you, he adds, but I'm also someone who never believes in hype. when things are going well and don't despair when things don't work out your way.

The truth of the matter is that when I was elected there was still racism, misogyny, and anti-gay sentiment in America. What it meant was that for most Americans we have made enormous progress. I think that after this election those same elements are still there, but that does not negate all the progress that has been made, but this is a very complicated country and always has been. History doesn't move in a straight line in zigzags and zags and goes back and forth and culture is a complicated thing, it's organic and you can never just say "okay, we're done with that, that's done." Let's move on to the next thing: the battle to be vigilant in the name of kindness, courtesy, tolerance, justice and equality, that is an everyday thing for which each of us is responsible and I remain enormously optimistic about the lines of trend. partly because our children and their generation and you meet with them, you know, you talk to Malia and Sasha, the idea that you discriminate against someone because they have a different sexual orientation, it's crazy to them and I should know that so this doesn't happen. .

It doesn't seem like it's a select sample and I've been to college campuses and I've met with college Republicans and they think that would be crazy too, it's not just a partisan issue and for that generation that's behind us and I think every successive generation as As we do our job of being good role models, they will lead this country in a better direction. Proudest moment or what the future holds for the Obama family, who they are, so, I'm so. a lot of proud moments, I mean, I could say one week we survived and we're great, we're here, our kids, our kids aren't crazy, our kids are crazy, but all of that is the work that I know our team has done.

The initiatives, I'm serious, you know, when I came in, we talked about not wanting to do just symbolic things, that we wanted to move the needle on the issues that we took on and I think we can say that we have done that on each of the issues. Whether it's bringing more attention to the plight of our military families and mobilizing the nation around it, we shift to helping change the culture around how our kids eat and how we move. We are seeing college graduation and high school graduation rates increase. and we will, if you talk about the future, we will continue to address those issues, you know, let's rest for a second, let's take a breath, you know, as I told all of our staff here, it's time for us to tap for a second. , people need time to cool off and reflect, you know, I mean, this is what these interviews say, what we haven't had time to do is reflect on this and before you can really, you know, push!

In the next part of your life's journey, you have to look at what just happened, understand it and know how it has affected you, and we are going to do that and we have to be very conscious of doing it. because there are already calls and requests to come and talk and travel and do things and if we're not careful we can be as busy as we are this week and in a month, so I want him to sleep, you know? I want to travel a little just for fun. You absolutely think it was going back to maybe being a slightly more activist former president now that you know we have this uncertain future agenda.

He would have been active no matter what happened in the election. because I'm only 55 and I'm entertaining myself around the house, you know, doing Sudoku is me from Michelle, but it wouldn't be good, I'd drive, yeah, we'd all be unhappy, yeah, so a couple of things like pointing out the number one on terms of pride I am serious about how proud I am of my daughters and they are really good people separate and apart from the fact that they are my daughters and I admit that I am biased, but if you talk to people who have met him or know him and they are a little less biased, I think they will say that they are kind, intelligent, thoughtful children, who treat everyone with respect and that is something that always worries you.

I couldn't be more proud of my wife, as I said, I think she has been extraordinary at this job. Even though she also kept our family together and made everything work so well, I couldn't be more proud of my team, everyone here worked so hard and did a good job this time. I will say that I thought the president looked tired and somehow he seemed more soulful than I did. I have seen him in the past and I think he saw the price of the elections and I also noticed a fierceness in the lady. What Obama talks about her husband, well I have to say it because I don't want to leave this interview without saying how proud I am of my husband because everything he just said is because of his leadership and the example he set not only as a president, but as a human being he is a father, he has been a role model for millions of people of all backgrounds and no one can deny that you know that I don't care what party you belong to when you think of a father, when you think of a good husband, someone with values solid, all the things that people say they admire most in people and want most in a leader.

Barack Obama has been that and smarter, the smartest, he's still the smartest person in the room and the country is better for it as a result of him and excellent bad jokes, I think, but she actually tried to get her, she's been chopping down, that's a tree Michelle and Malia Sasha with your jokes that scared them away, you know, but you saw my turkey nephews on the right tour and they love my jokes, okay, we're talking about the good thing about a people interview is that you can sit with the president and you can talk about the big issues that you know, but we also look at them as human beings and because they are people who feel.

Comfortable talking about what he's been like being married in the White House and what he's been like raising two daughters in the White House, we peel back the layer to the essence of the person, how they are as parents, what they are like. As husband and wife, what are they like as people? Living with them every day is something we're uniquely able to do, and because of the relationship with them, I think they feel comfortable telling us that story, so they've been very generous with their kind. of personal lives and People magazine and that has been a privilege