Barack Obama Opens Up About Marriage: Working to Make Up for Lost Time
During a recent appearance at Hamilton College in New York on April 4, former President Barack Obama gave a rare and heartfelt insight into his marriage with Michelle Obama, revealing that he’s been trying to catch up on quality time lost over the years.
While discussing a range of topics from gun control to Donald Trump’s trade policies, one moment stood out — Obama spoke candidly about his relationship with the former First Lady.
“I found myself in a serious deficit with my wife,” Obama admitted in conversation with College President Steven Tepper. “So now I’m making an effort to dig myself out by occasionally doing fun things together.”
The couple, married since 1992, spent eight years in the White House, a period Barack has acknowledged placed a strain on their marriage. Rumors and speculation about difficulties or even divorce have circulated online over time, but the Obamas have never confirmed any of these claims.
Michelle herself has openly discussed the ups and downs of their relationship. On her podcast, she humorously recalled how Barack’s laid-back attitude toward punctuality sometimes tested her patience.
“He had to learn what ‘on time’ meant for me,” she explained, poking fun at his relaxed Hawaiian roots. “He would often start getting ready exactly when we were supposed to leave.”
Despite those early challenges, Michelle says Barack has improved over their 30 years together, joking that their daughters, Malia and Sasha, now know to show up early when meeting their mom.
Even during his presidency, Obama was known for running late — in 2014, The Washington Post reported he had accumulated over 35 hours of delays at official events.
Currently, as Obama works on the second volume of his presidential memoirs, it’s clear his focus at home is on something even more personal: making sure he stays out of the “deficit” with Michelle.
