Michelle Obama ‘Never Fully Took To The Scrutiny’ As First Lady, President Reveals In ’60 Minutes’ Interview

Michelle Obama wished that she wasn’t married to her husband when he wanted to be president of the United States and “never fully took to the scrutiny” that came with being the first lady, the president revealed in a 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday night.

CBS News recapped the compelling interview, which featured the outgoing president discussing his life experience as the nation’s leader with 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft. Obama was candid in his answers and talked openly about Michelle Obama and how she felt about him becoming the country’s 44th president.

President Obama talks about eight years in office, life in the White House and what’s next – on tonight’s #60Minutes https://t.co/jQqPOPPfB8

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 15, 2017

President Obama told Kroft in the interview that even though his wife believed he was the kind of person the country needed as a president, she wished that it wasn’t during a time she was married to him.

“She used to say to our friends, ‘Barack’s exactly the kind of guy I want to be president. I just wish he didn’t want to do it when I was married to him.'”

In 2007, Kroft interviewed Barack Obama when he was an Illinois senator. The discussion was shortly before he ran for president and won. Michelle Obama made virtually the same statement about supporting her husband’s decision to run for the nation’s highest office.

“I think if I weren’t married to him, I’d want him to be in there. So I don’t want to stand in the way of that because we have to work out a few things. We’ve had those arguments…”

Michelle Obama was the “hardest sell,” he says. Despite the optics that she was a natural as a public figure, the first lady didn’t care for the attention. The good has far outweighed the bad, however.

“She was the hardest sell. And she never fully embraced being in the public spotlight, which is ironic, given how good she is. Having said that she would acknowledge, and I certainly feel that we– we just have a lot of memories here. You know, our kids grew up here. Some of our best friends have been made here in this place. There have been moments that were highlights for us– that– you know, are going to be hard to duplicate.”

As for his daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, they’re ready to leave the White House. The two teenagers have grown tired of being followed by Secret Service detail and are ready to get out of the bubble they’ve been in the past eight years. He continued that Michelle Obama never adjusted to the “scrutiny” that was intrinsic to public life.

“Ah, they’re ready to go. I mean, the girls, obviously, you know, they are now of an age in which the constraints of Secret Service and bubbles and all that stuff has gotten pretty old. Michelle never fully took to the scrutiny. I mean, she’s thrived as a first lady, but it’s not her preference.”

.@FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s fabulous legacy https://t.co/aOFNLh0bIF via @amjoyshow

— AM Joy w/Joy Reid (@amjoyshow) January 16, 2017

Michelle Obama is ready to move out of the White House and doesn’t plan on running for president, as many would like to see. It’s not something she aspires to do and is relieved to move on from the public life she’s held over the past eight years as America’s first lady. She’s endured her share of merciless criticism and hateful attacks.

According to the Washington Post, Michelle Obama is “quietly planning her next act.” In the piece, Michelle’s longtime aide Melissa Winter said the outgoing first lady will take a long break and emphasizes that it’s important she reach a point of boredom before moving onto the next project. It’s already been reported that Michelle Obama will write a memoir worth millions of dollars.

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