Barack Obama Admits To Marital Struggle, Says He’s in ‘Deep Deficit’ With Michelle: ‘Been trying To…’

International

oi-Amit Vasudev

Published: Saturday, April 5, 2025, 15:19 [IST]

Acknowledging
that
his
two
terms
as
US
President
had
placed
considerable
strain
on
their
marriage,
Barack
Obama
admitted
he
is
working
to
dig
himself
out
of
a
“deep
deficit” with
his
wife,
Michelle
Obama.

Speaking
during
an
event
at
Hamilton
College,
Obama
shared
that
he
has
been
attempting
to
reconnect
with
Michelle
by
doing
“fun
things” from
time
to
time.

Rumours
of
a
divorce
between
Barack
and
Michelle
Obama
have
been
circulating
for
months.
Speculation
intensified
after
Barack
attended
former
President
Jimmy
Carter’s
funeral
alone
and
was
also
seen
without
Michelle
at
President
Donald
Trump’s
inauguration
in
January.

Obama
opened
up
about
the
challenges
in
his
marriage
after
Hamilton
College
President
Steven
Tepper
asked
the
63-year-old
about
life
post-White
House.

The
former
US
President
said
he
has
mostly
been
occupied
with
writing
the
second
half
of
his
memoir.
The
first
volume,
A
Promised
Land,
was
released
in
November
2020.

“I
am
finishing
the
second
half
of
my
presidential
memoirs,
which
is
like
50
term
papers.
I
mean,
it
just
goes
on
forever.
But
people
ask
me,
‘Do
you
enjoy
writing?’ I
say,
‘Absolutely
not’.
But
I
do
enjoy
having
written
when
it’s
finished,”
Obama
remarked.

He
went
on
to
speak
candidly
about
the
strain
on
his
relationship
with
Michelle.
“I
was
in
a
deep
deficit
with
my
wife,
so
I
have
been
trying
to
dig
myself
out
of
that
hole
by
doing
occasionally
fun
things,”
he
said.

Obama
first
met
Michelle
at
a
law
firm
where
they
both
worked
during
the
1980s,
and
the
pair
married
in
1992.

Michelle,
too,
has
previously
spoken
about
the
difficulties
in
their
relationship.
In
a
2022
interview,
she
confessed,
“There
were
10
years
where
I
couldn’t
stand
my
husband.”

The
couple
has
also
faced
persistent
rumours
alleging
Barack
Obama
had
an
affair
with
actress
Jennifer
Aniston,
though
no
credible
evidence
has
ever
emerged
to
support
these
claims.

Earlier
this
year,
astrologer
Amy
Tripp
told
India
Today
that
the
Obamas
could
face
a
turbulent
period.
“I
looked
at
their
charts…
it
indicates
a
separation.
I
would
say
July
or
August
of
this
year
could
bring
major
changes
for
them,” said
Tripp,
who
had
previously
predicted
Donald
Trump’s
election
win.

However,
the
Obamas
have
attempted
to
dispel
the
speculation
by
sharing
selfies
together
on
Valentine’s
Day.