Barack Obama says he’s thankful his marriage survived the White House

It should come as no surprise that holding the highest office would put a strain on a couple’s relationship. In his latest memoir A Promised Land, former President Barack Obama opens up about his time in the White House and the impact it had on his marriage with First Lady Michelle Obama. Following the release of the book earlier this month, President Obama is continuing to reveal just how difficult it was for the couple to maintain their relationship while living in the most famous house in the world.President Obama appears on the cover of the latest issue of People Magazine and spoke about his wife’s reluctance towards a career in politics. "Michelle very much believed in the work I did but was less optimistic about what I could get done,” said Obama. “She's more skeptical about politics and more mindful of the sacrifices to the family.”

 

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The former POTUS said that having an international spotlight on them at all times was difficult for the first family. “During the time we were there, Michelle felt this underlying tension. The pressure, stress, of needing to get everything right, to be 'on' at every moment,” said Obama. Adding that he knew the couple often had to put their marital issues aside to continue serving the country, Obama continued, saying "There were times where I think she was frustrated or sad or angry but knew that I had Afghanistan or the financial crisis to worry about so she would tamp it down."Thankfully, the forever #couplegoals pair made it through eight years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and came out stronger on the other end. "I think we came out of it whole," said Obama. "There were great joys in the White House. There was never a time where we didn't recognize what an extraordinary privilege it was to be there. Most importantly, our children emerged intact and they are wonderful, kind, thoughtful, creative — and not entitled — young women. So that's a big sigh of relief."[video_embed id='2081687']RELATED: Barack shares “badass” traits about Michelle and his girls[/video_embed]The Obamas officially left the White House in January 2017 and the 44^th president said that the couple released a joint exhale following the end of Barack’s presidency. "It took some time to talk about how she had felt. Once [the presidency] was done, there was possibility of her opening up ... but more importantly just her being able to let out a breath and relax."President Obama has been busy in the past few months campaigning for his former VP and current President-elect Joe Biden and also promoting his new memoir. In addition to his interview with People, Obama has also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and sat down for an in-depth discussion with Oprah Winfrey.

 

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In a piece just released today, Obama and author Jesmyn Ward also spoke about the president’s book for Vanity Fair and the conversation once again turned to his marriage with Michelle. “Obviously, a lot of the book is the story of our love and our partnership, and the sacrifices she made for the career path I chose. And, needing to be honest about the fact that she really didn’t want me to be in politics, and it hurt her in a lot of ways,” said President Obama.Referencing Michelle’s 2018 memoir Becoming, the President said having his wife already lay the groundwork for some of their time in the White House and its effect on their marriage was beneficial. “I was helped by the fact that she wrote her book first, she had already put out some of that, so that it wasn’t so much me, you know, pulling back the curtain. She had already done that. I was just giving my perspective in terms of how I felt about her distress around some of our decisions.”[video_embed id='2068157']Before you go: Barack Obama sinks a three-pointer while out on the campaign trail[/video_embed]