Mamdani, Obama reads to children in the Bronx
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani met with former President Barack Obama on Saturday to read to preschoolers in the Bronx.
Fox – 5 New York
Former President Barack Obama said pressure to join the Democratic Party’s campaign after leaving office caused “real tension” in his marriage to Michelle Obama.
“She wants to see her husband ease off, spend more time together and enjoy the rest of his life,” the former president said in a profile published in the May 4 issue of The New Yorker. “That’s creating real tension in our household and frustrates her.”
This profile focused on Barack Obama’s political presence since becoming president. In a profile for the magazine, he said President Donald Trump’s “recklessness” has put him on the political stage “more than I ever wanted.”
“I’m more forgiving in terms of understanding why people feel the way they do, because they’re not looking at me in comparison to other presidents in history,” Obama told the magazine. “They don’t care about the fact that no other former president has been the party’s primary agent for four election cycles since they left office.”
According to a 2025 Gallup poll, Barack Obama is the most popular living U.S. president, with an overall approval rating of nearly 60% and an approval rating of 96% among Democrats.
According to a 2025 Gallup poll, Barack Obama is the most popular of all living presidents, with nearly 60% Democratic support and a 96% favorability rating. He argued that more political appearances would reduce the impact on viewers.
“If I function like Jon Stewart, and even once a week, I just tune out and just rip off what’s going on — which I’m glad John does, by the way — then I’m not a political leader, I’m a commentator,” Barack Obama told The New Yorker.
President Obama openly defends the existence of the media
Barack Obama largely avoided political attention during President Trump’s first term, even as some Democrats criticized him for vacationing with celebrities in crowded places. Calls for political participation will continue during Trump’s second term.
“Honestly, we haven’t seen much of him. I wish we’d seen more,” real estate executive Jack Kahn, who heard him speak at a New Jersey campaign rally in 2025, told the magazine.
But Barack Obama pointed to appearing in nontraditional media as a way to reach an audience that doesn’t care about political news.
“President Obama will be talking about a lot of different things and there will be video clips that people will find interesting, because it’s not just a series of political speeches,” David Plouffe, a longtime adviser to the former president, told The New Yorker.
Barack Obama has made headlines in the redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterm elections by supporting measures in California and Virginia that tilted their congressional maps toward Democrats in response to Republican-run states redrawing their maps.
President Obama talks about Iran war: Prime Minister Netanyahu got ‘what he wanted’ from President Trump
Barack Obama also revealed in his profile that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made the same claim about the conflict with Iran, prompting President Trump to start the US-Israel war.
He told the magazine that he felt his “predictions” about what would happen in the conflict were “accurate” but that Netanyahu “got what he wanted” from Trump.
“I question whether that’s ultimately what’s best for the people of Israel,” Obama said. “I wonder if I think that’s a good thing for the United States and for the United States.”
The interview was published on the same day the United States launched Project Freedom, an operation aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Military officials said six small Iranian boats were sunk during the operation.
