One of the things we love most about former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama is the genuine love they share. From their beautiful first dance at the 2009 Inaugural Ball to Beyoncé’s rendition of Etta James’ “At Last,” we knew they were definitely #BlackLoveGoals.
In a recent episode of “The Pivot” podcast, our forever President shared the story of shooting his shot with his wife of over 30 years and what he was willing to give up to make sure he got that first date with her.
Obama shared that Michelle worked at a law firm where he was a summer associate during his time at law school. She was assigned as his mentor, and while she was technically his boss, Obama told “The Pivot” hosts “she wasn’t supervising nothing.”
“She was showing me where the Xerox machine was. She was showing me how to keep your timesheets, and she was taking me out to lunch because they were trying to recruit me,” he said.
When Obama tried to get the former First Lady to agree to go out with him, she shot him down due to what she believed to be a conflict of interest at work. But that didn’t stop him from trying. President Obama said he told the future Mrs. Obama that he was willing to quit his job so she would go out with him. And after hitting her with some of his best game, she finally agreed.
“I was just charming,” he said. “So, I’m just saying, I broke her down after a couple of weeks.”
Fortunately, the Obamas’ love story had a happy ending, although the former president admits things weren’t always easy. He told the hosts that work-life balance wasn’t always possible during his time on the campaign trail and in the White House and acknowledged the sacrifices the former First Lady made during that difficult period in their lives.
“When I was running for President, I think I went about a year and a half where I was maybe home on weekends, and the kids were so small, Michelle was working. She was carrying a huge load during that time,” he said.
Obama credits his wife and children for sticking with him through it all.
“They still love me after all I put them through, and I will forever be grateful for that,” he said.