Barack Obama On Leaving White House After Presidency: 'A Big Sigh Of Relief'

Barack Obama shared their emotional state while they were leaving the White House. The former president said they were relieved after his presidency ended.

Obama served as the president of the United States for two terms. After spending almost a decade in the White House, he shared how leaving the place was "like a big exhale" for him and his family especially since he felt that his wife Michelle had underlying tension during their stay there.

"There was never a time where we didn't recognize what an extraordinary privilege it was to be there," he told People. "But during the time we were there, Michelle felt this underlying tension."

"Michelle very much believed in the work I did but was less optimistic about what I could get done. ... She's more skeptical about politics and more mindful of the sacrifices to the family," he continued.

Obama shared that his wife wasn't someone who would go at him for staying up late in his office after reading briefing papers. He felt that she would open up to him after their stay in the White House and he noticed that the former first lady "has been more relaxed and more joyful since we left office."

"And that allowed us then to not just enjoy the deep love that comes with a marriage this long, and as eventful as it's been — but also to be friends again," Obama continued. "Most importantly, our children emerged intact and they are wonderful, kind, thoughtful, creative — and not entitled — young women. So that's a big sigh of relief,”

In his memoir "A Promised Land," Obama shared how the presidency affected his marriage to Michelle. He admitted that despite her success and popularity, many treated her role as only secondary in importance. Obama felt that his wife was happier before they moved to the White House.

"[L]ying next to Michelle in the dark, I'd think about those days when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered, and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return," Obama wrote.

Meanwhile, the former POTUS joked that Michelle would leave him if he were to join Joe Biden's cabinet, suggesting that his wife wanted him to stay away from politics after his presidency.