Quantcast
Channel: BuzzFeed News
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 15742

Nine Things You Didn’t Know About The Obamas

0
0

I've been covering the Obamas for five years for the New York Times , watching their transformation from promising Chicago couple to President and First Lady of the United States. Here are a few surprising things I learned about them, from my book “The Obamas,” out in paperback this week.

Michelle Obama considered delaying her move to the White House

Michelle Obama considered delaying her move to the White House

By Election Day 2008, she was quietly contemplating sitting out the school year in Chicago with her daughters and moving over the summer. In retrospect, this shows just how new she was to the presidency: there’s no way the nation would have approved of a commuter First Lady. But her apprehension was also understandable, because living in the world’s most famous house-museum-military complex with two young kids is far more challenging than it looks.

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

The president has a sly sense of humor about race

The president has a sly sense of humor about race

Obama does not dare joke about race now — too sensitive. That wasn’t always
the case. As a Senate candidate, he was once playing hooky from meeting with donors when a white aide named Peter Coffey finally tracked him down at the barbershop. A few hours later, the candidate returned to the office. “The relationship between a black man and his barber is sacred,” Obama mock-bellowed at Coffey. “They are closer than man and wife. For failing to understand this truth, your punishment is to watch the movie Barbershop. And for further punishment, you will then watch the sequel, Barbershop 2.”

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

When you’re president, you can’t really go home again.

When you’re president, you can’t really go home again.

Obama began his term thinking he would take his family back to Chicago to recharge every couple of weeks. But their first trip in February 2009 was more invasion of Normandy than weekend getaway. The Secret Service dropped black curtains down the sides of their home and they tied up traffic in Chicago. “We live in the White House now,” Michelle Obama told staff upon returning to Washington. Their trips home have been sporadic since.

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

The dinner rule

The dinner rule

The White House is the first place the Obama family has ever lived together full time. Before then, Obama was always commuting to Springfield, Ill. or Washington DC. As president, he decided not to miss dinner with his family more than twice a week, with exceptions for emergencies. This meant limiting certain presidential activities—West Coast trips, Washington outreach. Because he was intent on being with his family, “there just weren’t that many hours in the day left for reaching out and just picking up the phone” to outsiders, Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor, told me.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Source: whitehouse.gov


View Entire List ›


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 15742

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images