Barack Obama, in a rare interview, decided to talk about his private life.
The former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, only step in the limelight during election cycles to support Democratic candidates or to promote a new project.
Obama has a habit of sticking to the script, but occasionally, he wanders off and speaks about his two daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama.
The author sat down with Ryan Clark to discuss Malia Obama’s decision to drop her famous last name, following in the footsteps of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise‘s daughters — Shiloh and Suri.
Malia, the burgeoning filmmaker, now goes by Malia Ann. The 26-year-old Harvard alum erased her surname to fight the nepo baby tag while promoting her first movie.
Michelle Obama’s oldest daughter is the writer and director behind the short film The Heart alongside Donald Glover.
However, when Malia announced her decision, her famous father lightly ridiculed her. Former president Barack Obama pointed out the obvious — she would never be able to dissociate from him altogether.
Barack Obama explained that both daughters are “stubborn” and added: “They go out of their way to not try to leverage their familial status.”
The former president said it is hard to help Malia Obama and her sister, Sasha, with their careers because they are determined to accomplish their goals without any interference from the family.
The Hawaiian politician claimed: “The challenge for us is letting us give them any help. I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it.”
Barack Obama recalled the unbelievable conversation he had with Malia as she explained why she opted to use her middle name, “Ann,” instead of her surname.
He stated: “I was all like, “You do know they’ll know who you are. And she’s all like, “You know what? I want them to watch it for the first time and not in any way have that association.”
The former president confessed that he would always “be a dad and brag a little about his daughters’ successes.”
Obama concluded the interview by explaining that his daughter’s privacy will always be a top priority.
The Democratic politician also recalled how he made a deal with the media to protect his children. So, to some extent he will always put their needs above his own ego.
It will be interesting to see if the media will allow Malia Ann’s work to speak for itself.
