Former US president Barack Obama has ruled out any return to elected politics, joking that it would cost him his marriage.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama
said he no longer sees himself as a politician. The interview was released on Saturday.
“First of all, I’m not a politician anymore and I can’t be,” he said.
Obama admitted that while the law might technically allow him to run for certain offices, he has no wish to do so. He added, with humour, that personal reasons also matter.
“I believe in the Constitution, and I also believe in my marriage. Michelle would divorce me if I even tried to run again,” he said, referring to his wife and former first lady, Michelle Obama.
The former US president explained that life after the White House has changed his focus. He said he and his wife are now more interested in mentoring and inspiring young people. “Michelle and I still have the capacity to inspire and motivate young people and invite them into this process,” he said.
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Obama argued that real political change in the US must come from younger generations. “That change is going to come from the 20- and 30-year-olds. They’re the ones who will remake our institutions,” he said.
During the interview, Obama also addressed a recent social media post shared on the Truth Social account of US President Donald Trump. The video briefly showed Obama and his wife with their faces placed on the bodies of monkeys.
The post drew criticism from across the political spectrum before it was removed. The White House later said it had been posted in error by a staff member.
Without naming Trump directly, Obama said most Americans “find this behaviour deeply troubling”. He added that public discourse had become more cruel and that standards of respect once expected in politics appeared to have declined.
“There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” he said, adding that a sense of decorum and respect for public office had been lost.
(With inputs from agencies)
