Barack Obama Reflects on Female Attention During Presidency: ‘I Wasn’t Tripping on It’

In an unexpected turn of conversation on The Pivot podcast, former President Barack Obama let loose on what it’s like to be famous, rather’-at least with regard to the excess of attention he received from women after he became a figure in the public eye. Though Barack Obama has often been dashing in many ways, charismatic, bright-the former president set celebrity appeal into perspective.

As Obama mentioned on the podcast, fame can at times lend an almost inoculating quality to physical attraction, one more specifically applied to athletes and personalities of a particularly high order. “By the time people really knew who I was, I was 43 years old,” he said, recognizing that unlike many young famous athletes, he reached the spotlight at a later age in life. “I had gotten married, had two kids, gone grocery shopping, washed my car. I was a regular guy in that sense.”

Reflecting on some of his experiences with women’s attention while serving as president, Obama says some were even a bit improper. He goes to the extent of referring humorously to online photos of women grasping his buttocks while he was president. Through all these flirtations, he remained sober, and he attributes this to his family.

Obama made clear that he perceives his commitment to his wife, Michelle- whom he described as an “extraordinary woman” and “a remarkable partner”- as one commitment he has honored with little difficulty; the other is to be a good role model to his daughters. “The idea of disappointing your kids is something that, I ain’t going there, ” he said, underscoring the powerful influence his family has on his decision-making.

The flirting was a way of assuaging an ego, one supposes, but in his case, it entrenched him deeper into that which was most important: keeping the family together and moral straight. This has entrenched him further in respect and admiration to so many people around the world.