Obama Shows Trump How To Lead During ‘CBS This Morning’ Interview

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For the first time since his vice president won the election, President Barack appeared on CBS This Morning with co-host Gayle King. They discussed the first volume of his memoirs A Promised Land, the transition, and whether he would go back to the White House.

King asked the 44th president of these United States about when he first went into the Oval Office. She said:

‘Take us to that day, when you walked in.’

Obama reflected that “It’s a little bit like your wedding:”

‘You know, Inauguration Day is a little bit about everybody else. It’s a little bit like your wedding. You’re so busy trying to make sure you’re doing everything right and everybody’s where they’re supposed to be, that you can’t catch your breath.’

Then, he reached into the viewers’ hearts when he quoted President Abraham Lincoln “…you’re on your knees praying once you’re in office:”

‘The first time I walked in as president by myself, though, and sat at the Resolute Desk, I think you feel a reverence for the office. I think it was President Lincoln who said, “If you weren’t religious before you got into office, you sure are on your knees praying once you’re in office.”‘

King delved into the Republicans’ obstructionism, which is the polar office of how a Democracy should run. She considered Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was on a one-track course when he told the then president, “‘We’re gonna make you a one-term president.” After that, she asked Obama:

‘How do you deal with that type of hostility?’

The 44th president responded that all he really needed was for “the economists [to] agree:”

‘Part of what I try to describe is how early that obstructionist attitude starts. I mean, it started on Day One, ’cause we were trying to pass the Recovery Act, the stimulus package. People were losing their jobs, they were losing their homes, and  the economy was collapsing. At the time, I thought, “All right, well, obviously Republicans aren’t gonna agree with me on everything. But on this, all the economists agree this is what we need. They’ll give some cooperation on this.’ And we didn’t get any.”‘

The two talked at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, which displays a painting of Michelle Obama in the midst of first ladies. Mrs. Obama was not pleased with the idea of spending time in the White House, according to King. The co-host said:

‘She made it clear she was never into politics.’

The president said “No,” and King continued:

‘But she always supported you. Yeah. And there were times when you said, “When we do this …” she goes, “Well, wait, what ‘we’? What ‘we’?”‘

Clearly at ease, he replied:

‘I quote her as saying, “Not ‘we,’ you.‘ I am mindful of the sacrifices that she made, but the good news is that for whatever reason, she has forgiven me, sort of. She still reminds me occasionally of what she put up with!’

Obama said that when they finally left after eight years, it was “as his family left they were able to exhale – Michelle Obama in particular:”

‘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.’

King reminded him that Michelle Obama always said:

‘”When they go low, we go high.” It seemed to many people when you were on the campaign trail for Joe Biden, it wasn’t a matter of going low or high, you went in. They called it “Barack Obama unleashed.” Was it personal for you? Or did you just think, “I’ve had it.”‘

The interviewer inserted:

‘You didn’t have an “I’ve had it” moment?’

Obama responded:

‘It wasn’t personal. The truth is, everything I said, I was just stating facts.’

Obama said he worried about the current deep division in America fueled by propaganda on one side:

‘It’s very hard for our democracy to function if we are operating on just completely different sets of facts.’

King went back to when they first came to the White House:

I think about John McCain calling, George and Laura Bush welcoming you and Michelle Obama to the White House.’

The president added:

‘Could not have been more gracious…’

And about the Republicans in Congress? They “are not being helpful:”

‘Well, look, Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States; Kamala Harris will be the next vice president. There is no legal basis, there’s no factual scenarios in which …And that has been disappointing. But it’s been sort of par for the course during these four years. They obviously didn’t think there was any fraud going on, ’cause they didn’t say anything for the first two days. But there’s damage to this, because what happens is that the peaceful transfer of power, the notion that any of us who attain an elected office – whether it’s dogcatcher or president – are servants of the people. It’s a temporary job.

‘We’re not above the rules. We’re not above the law. That’s the essence of our democracy.’

Number 45 in the line of presidents but actually among the smallest elite group of men said that he will help President-elect Joe Biden, but he is not interested in being on the “White House staff:”

‘He doesn’t need my advice. And I will help him in any ways that I can. But now, you know, I’m not planning to suddenly work on the White House staff or something..

‘There are probably some things I would not be doing, ’cause Michelle would leave me. [laughed] She’d be like, “What? You’re doin’ what?”‘

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