Obama Admits 'Digging Out of a Hole' with Michelle: Personal Struggles and Political Battles

OBAMA SPILLS TEA: Former President Reveals Marriage Troubles and Scathing Criticism of Trump

In a juicy interview with historian David Olusoga at The O2 Arena in London, Barack Obama revealed that he's been "digging himself out of a hole" with his wife Michelle for the past few years. The 44th President of the United States quipped that he was finally "at about level ground," implying that their marriage has been a wild ride.

But that's not all - Obama also took aim at Donald Trump, calling out the former president's claims about autism and pregnant women taking paracetamol as "violence against the truth." He argued that people need to stand up for what's true, even when it's inconvenient. "We have to insist that there are things that are true and false," he said. "Not perfectly true. But more truthful."

Obama also weighed in on the COVID-19 pandemic, criticizing those who campaigned to keep schools closed. He pointed out that children were less vulnerable to the virus than adults and that keeping them out of school had serious social consequences. "Sometimes we weren't looking at some of the evidence that said, you know what most kids really need school," he noted.

But the juiciest part of the interview came when Obama discussed his marriage troubles. The former President has been married to Michelle for almost 33 years and share daughters Malia and Sasha. However, rumors have been circulating that their relationship was on the rocks after Mrs. Obama skipped several high-profile events, including Trump's inauguration.

In a recent appearance in Pennsylvania, Obama joked that he had spent eight years trying to "dig himself out of a hole" with his wife. He admitted that it had been "challenging," but was making progress. "I'm almost breaking even at the moment," he quipped.

But the Obamas' marriage troubles seem to have been exaggerated - or so they claim. In an interview on Michelle's podcast, IMO, the former First Couple sat down for a joint chat and seemed to be in high spirits. Mrs. Obama jokingly referred to her husband as "my man" and said that she had never considered leaving him.

"I mean at this stage in life for me, personally, is the first time I've been completely free," she told Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the podcast. "There's been a release where every choice I make is not about my husband, not about his career, not about my family... it's totally about me."

But don't be fooled - the Obamas' marriage has been under scrutiny for months. In July, they sat down for a joint interview on Michelle's podcast and seemed to address the rumors head-on. "What, you guys like each other?" her brother Craig Robinson joked, before Michelle quipped, "Oh yeah, the rumor mill."

Obama even made light of the speculation, saying that he was largely unaware of what people were saying about their marriage. "I don't even know this stuff's going on," he said. "And then somebody will mention it to me and I'm all like, 'what are you talking about?'"

But Obama hasn't been just chatting about his love life - he's also been weighing in on current events. In a scathing op-ed for The New York Times, he criticized Trump's administration for allegedly strong-arming media companies into silencing dissenting voices.

"After years of complaining about cancel culture," Obama wrote, "the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn't like."

He even linked to a New York Times piece by columnist David French defending the First Amendment. "This commentary offers a clear, powerful statement of why freedom of speech is at the heart of democracy and must be defended - whether the speaker is Charlie Kirk or Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA supporters or MAGA opponents," Obama wrote.

But Obama's criticisms don't stop there - he also broke his silence to criticize Trump's rampant militarization of police. In a post on X, he linked to a New York Times op-ed by Ezra Klein that details how cities and states have begun to militarize their police under Trump.

"The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk, and should concern democrats and republicans alike," Obama wrote.

And if that wasn't enough, the Obamas are also dealing with skyrocketing budgets over his soon-to-be presidential library in Chicago. The center's staggering $850million cost has been fueled by soaring operational budgets and huge salaries for executives, a financial report has revealed.

Executives at the centre raked in a total of $6.1million and are among the best paid of all cultural centers in the nation, with CEO Valerie Jarrett paid $740,000 last year. Despite the soaring costs of the site, fundraising to Mr Obama's foundation has stayed high and surpassed $1billion thanks to a $195million cash injection last year, the foundation said in its recent financial report.

The Obamas' presidential library is situated in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago and will serve as the headquarters of the Obama Foundation. It will house a museum, library, and education center dedicated to his eight years as president.

It's clear that the Obamas are still going strong - despite their marriage troubles and criticisms of Trump. And with their presidential library set to open soon, it's safe to say that they're not done making headlines just yet.