Barack Obama Says Michelle Warned Daughters to Avoid 'Crazy' Politics: "She Drilled It Into Them"

Malia and Sasha Obama, the daughters of former President Barack Obama, are ambitious young women carving their own paths. But one career they will never pursue is politics. The reason? Their mom, Michelle Obama, made sure they steered clear of the 'messy' world of politics from an early age. During a fundraiser for President Joe Biden in LA, Barack revealed how Michelle warned the girls throughout their lives. "Michelle drilled into them so early that you would be crazy to go into politics. It will never happen," he said flatly. So, no political dynasty like the Bushes or Kennedys for the Obamas from the looks of it. 

The former president described Malia, 25, and Sasha, 23, as "powerful young women."  Malia is forging ahead in the film industry in LA. After graduating from Harvard in 2021, she made her debut as a writer-director with the short film The Heart at Sundance 2024. Instead of using the surname 'Obama', she opted for 'Malia Ann' in a move that sparked some criticism but also defense from the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, as per HuffPost. As for Sasha, she just graduated from USC with a sociology degree. It's unclear yet what career she will pursue.

Michelle has been open about her distaste for politics as one has to live life under constant public scrutiny. In Barack's memoir, he recalled an incident from when he decided to run for Senate. "Don't expect me to do any campaigning. In fact, you shouldn't even count on my vote," Michelle allegedly said at the time. She however did campaign for his historic presidential bid. But the immense pressure and need to be 'on' at every moment took a toll on their marriage during the White House years. Barack admitted that tensions grew as he focused more on work than family.

"We were pretty good even when things were tough, we never lost basic respect for the other person." He added, "We never thought that person was a bad person. We never said things that would make it seem that you completely disrespect me. It was more, 'I love you, Barack, but this is driving me crazy.'" He further praised, "[Michelle] is a remarkable woman. Even if she drives me crazy sometimes, I never thought that there was anybody who I would rather be with," as per The Daily Mail. 

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the former First Lady firmly stated, "I've never expressed any interest in politics. Ever...I mean, I agreed to support my husband. He wanted to do it, and he was great at it. But at no point have I ever said, ‘I think I want to run.’ Ever." Her communications director affirmed in 2024 that Michelle won't run for president despite some Democrats' fantasy picks.