The Real Reason Obama Won't Work At The White House Again

Some may have dreamt about seeing former President Barack Obama back in the White House, especially amid a tough time like the coronavirus pandemic. The fantasy became slightly more tangible when his former Vice President, Joe Biden, won the 2020 election, leaving many to speculate if the former president would sit on Biden's cabinet. Sadly for his staunchest supporters, it doesn't sound like this will happen. Although that would make for quite the full-circle moment, someone in Obama's life isn't too keen on the idea (but more on that later).

In addition to prioritizing his family after serving two terms in office, Obama said during a November 2020 interview with CBS This Morning's Gayle King that his former righthand man "doesn't need" any of his guidance. With Biden's 50 years of experience in politics, Obama believes his pal has the presidency in the bag, but he'll be there to support him "in any way" he can. 

As for who may serve in the Biden's administration, John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor at the University of Chicago and foreign policy expert, told The New York Times, "They're bringing in the usual suspects. There are no new faces here." He added, "And to the extent there are new faces and younger people, they sound just like the usual suspects." So why isn't Obama one of those "usual suspects?" Keep scrolling for more details about why Obama will never go back to work at the White House.

It seems like former President Obama's better half might play a big part in his decision to never return to the Oval Office. When speaking with Gayle King, the journalist asked the father of two if he would ever consider being a part of President-elect Joe Biden's cabinet. Finding the question amusing, Obama jokingly replied, "There are probably some things I would not be doing 'cause Michelle would leave me. She'd be like, 'What? You're doin' what?'"

During the interview, Obama shared that his wife was never into politics, per se, but she was up for the ride to support her husband. Following his two terms as president, he said Michelle was finally able to relax after being in the spotlight for almost a decade. "When the presidency was over, two things happened: One was, objectively, I just had more time. But two is that she was able to let go of some of the stress of just feeling as if, 'I've got to get everything right all the time. I'm being watched all the time' – you know, her releasing her breath that I think she had been holding for close to ten years at that point," Obama explained to King.

Obama himself also seems to enjoy a more laid-back lifestyle with some toned down public scrutiny. Although life for a former president is never traditional since they have to follow a variety of rules, which includes no driving, not being surround by secret service personnel must be refreshing.

Although former President Obama made it clear he isn't going to serve under President-elect Joe Biden, we could see a lot of familiar faces from his cabinet on Biden's team. "I think virtually everybody who gets named will have served under Obama," James Mann, who has written several books about foreign policy advisers to Obama and former President George W. Bush, told The New York Times.

Bringing in his allies who served under Obama could be seen as a strategic move to restore foreign policy principles. Although, as Obama said, Biden won't need much help on account of his experience. In addition to being a former vice president, he worked as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, making him pretty qualified to hold down the fort concerning national security. As for who we can expect to see on Biden's team, The New York Times predicted that "Antony Blinken, a deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser under Mr. Obama who previously worked for Mr. Biden in the Senate," could be one of the familiar faces in Biden's corner, as well as, "Avril Haines, a deputy at Mr. Obama's Central Intelligence Agency and on his National Security Council." 

Obama's supporters shouldn't be too disappointed, as the former president is still making moves. Along with Michelle, the Hawaii native signed a production deal with Netflix, and in November 2020, he released a memoir, Promised Land.