Barack Obama who is now. How ex-presidents of the United States live and what they do

If you've ever wondered whether presidents and big politicians know how to take a break, there's no doubt: Barack Obama knows how to do it better than anyone else. He has already been seen with a completely happy face, wearing a backwards baseball cap during a trip to the British Virgin Islands with Michelle. And now the former US President has traded loose-fitting jeans for surfer shorts and rode the wave on Necker Island with businessman Richard Branson.
“Challenged Barack Obama to a battle of kitesurfing lessons versus foilboarding, and this is what happened.” While Obama was learning to ride a kite, Branson was learning to surf on a foilboard (a board equipped with a hydrofoil, a rider seat in the tail, and bindings). After they practiced (and fell off their boards a few times), they decided to see which of them could go further on a new type of board. You can guess who won.
“I was happy to offer Barack Obama the opportunity to learn kitesurfing, and this is what happened.” The former president told Branson that the last time he went surfing was in Hawaii, long before he was in the White House. “For the next eight years he did not have the opportunity to surf, enjoy aquatic species sports and doing many things that he loves,” said the founder of the Virgin corporation. Despite the fact that quite a lot of time has passed, Obama is doing well.
Here's how they do it: Earlier, photographs appeared of Obama vacationing with his family and Richard Branson. He is wearing a backwards baseball cap. It's hard to imagine a more relaxed and content ex-president.
And here Obama is with Michelle:

In fact, Barack Obama is not only a politician. He studied for some time social activities, and also wrote several books, which brought him considerable fame and allowed him to receive votes in the future. Although the future 44th President of the United States was black, his life was predominantly white. The biography of Barack Obama is an example of impeccable pursuit of a goal.

Childhood and early years

Barack Hussein Obama Jr. was born in the Hawaiian city of Honolulu. This happened on August 4, 1961. He was born to Kenyan Barack Hussein Obama Sr. and American Stanley Anne Dunham. The father of the future president came to the United States to study as an economist. Barack Obama Sr. met the future mother of his son at the University of Hawaii. However, he was not very interested family life. After graduating from university, he went to continue his studies at Harvard. When Obama Jr. was two years old, his father returned to Kenya, where he received a high government rank. He divorced his son's mother.

Four years later, Stanley Ann Dunham remarried a University of Hawaii student, this time an Indonesian. The young family moved to Indonesia, where Barack Obama went to one of the schools in Jakarta and studied there for 4 years. Then Barack decided to return to his homeland - Honolulu. His mother's parents lived there, and he settled with them. In his hometown Barack entered the prestigious private school Punahou, from which he graduated in 1979. This educational institution is still famous for its famous alumni. During his school years, Obama was fond of basketball. He even won the state championship in 1979 as part of the school team.

Later, Barack Obama will publish memoirs in which he talks about using marijuana and cocaine in high school. Barack himself describes this as far from being the most favorable period in his life, since his school performance decreased significantly due to drug use.

Education and first work activity

After graduation, Obama chose Occidental College in Los Angeles for further education. However, after a few years of study, he transferred to Columbia University. From a book written by Barack himself, you can find out that he left Occidental College due to a large number of racist remarks directed at him. He graduated from the university in 1983 and immediately went to work for a large international company. In his first job, Barack Obama was a financial news editor.

As the politician himself recalls in his memoirs, 1985 was a turning point for him. This year he decided to leave his prestigious workplace and move to Chicago. In the new place, he also decided to change his occupation, so he focused on social activities. Barack helped disadvantaged residents of the city in one of the local church groups. At that time, a politician began to emerge in young Barack, since many of the people’s problems could not be solved by ordinary means. Obama realized that the US legal and constitutional system is far from perfect and therefore needs to be improved.

The problem was that the future president was not an expert in the field of law, so he decided to continue his studies. In 1988, he became a student at Harvard Law School. In parallel with his studies, Barak continued to be involved in social activities, namely, he was the editor of the university newspaper Harvard Law Revive. During his student years, the popular newspaper The New York Times published an article highlighting the successes of the young black Obama. The article noted that Barack became the first black chairman of the University Lawyers' Club in its history.

In 1991, after graduating from university, he returned to Chicago as a certified lawyer. Here he became an advocate in the field of racial inequality. Then, in 1993, Barack Obama took a job at the University of Chicago, where he would teach a course constitutional law.

Beginning of a political career

In 1995, Barack completed work on his first book, entitled "Dreams Inherited from His Father." Immediately after its publication, it did not gain much popularity. However, in the process of Obama's development as a politician, the book became more and more popular and helped the young politician in his promotion.

In parallel with his work at the university, Barak worked for some time at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of the United States. This allowed him to run for the Illinois State Senate. In 1997 he received required quantity votes and became a senator. In 2000, the young senator ran for the House of Representatives, but lost to a local black opponent. Barack Obama served in the state Senate until 2004. Subsequently, his colleagues spoke positively about Barak’s work. They noted that Obama did not divide senators into Democrats and Republicans, but collaborated with all legislators.

Fame and first steps to the presidency

In 2004, the election campaign for the US Senate began. Barack Obama decided to take part in it from the state of Illinois. During the popular primaries, he managed to beat all six opponents and become the main contender for a seat in the US Senate. Barack Obama's speech before the Democratic National Convention played a decisive role in winning the election. His speech was broadcast on television in live. The senatorial candidate called for making the United States a country of free people again and returning the so-called American dream. As an example, he cited examples from his life and the life of his father. The Democratic Party and the people of the United States supported the young politician, as a result of which he gained fame and won elections to the Senate of the United States of America.

In his new elected position, Barack Hussein Obama continued to work with both parties to work on legislation. One of the most significant examples of such cooperation was Obama’s visit to Russia together with Senator from Republican Party Richard Lugar. IN Russian Federation Senators negotiated to limit the supply of weapons of mass destruction. During his senatorial career, Obama showed great interest in the development of alternative energy sources.

The rise of Barack Obama as US President

Senatorial activity brought Barack considerable popularity. Newspapers, magazines and other mass media regularly followed the activities of the young politician and made him very famous person. Obama's popularity increased so much that already in 2006 the public started talking about the senator's possible run for the presidency of the United States. At that time, his only opponent was Hillary Clinton.

In early 2007, Barack Obama decided to carefully analyze political situation before upcoming elections president. To do this, he created a committee that began analysis and monitoring. Based on research conducted by the committee, only 15% of the population supported Barack Obama. While 43% of the country's population were ready to vote for Hilary Clinton. In less than six months, Barak managed to reduce the gap to three percent. As a result of the campaign, the US Democratic Party elected Barack Obama as its candidate for president. Hillary Clinton accepted the party's decision and helped Barack during the presidential election.

Election campaign

In February 2008, Barack Obama arrived in Springfield, where he took part in a rally and publicly announced his participation in the presidential race. The main agenda of his election campaign was ending the military conflict in Iraq. He promised that as early as March 2009, not a single American military man would remain in Iraq if he were to win.

At one of the subsequent rallies, Obama uttered words for which he had to pay. He said that the American soldiers who died in Iraq gave their lives in vain. After this, Barack Obama's rating decreased, albeit slightly. He had to justify himself for a long time and prove that he meant something completely different.

The policies of the then US President George W. Bush were subject to significant criticism from Barack Obama. The presidential candidate blamed the Bush administration for the decline of the system public education, as well as increasing dependence on oil exports.

Presidential Race: Obama vs McCain

During the presidential elections, Barack Obama relied on the common population of the country, which provided him with a majority of votes. Barack's main opponent was Republican John McCain, who focused on the middle class and wealthy Americans. On the decisive day - November 4, 2008, Obama received 52.9% of the vote and won the presidential election.

Already on January 20, 2009, the inauguration took place, at which Barack Obama officially took office as head of state. His wife and two children were present at the ceremony.

Activities as President of the United States

After taking office, Barack Obama began to fulfill his campaign promises. His administration introduced a number of important orders and initiatives in the first 100 days of his presidency. One of the priority areas for the new president was the establishment of international relations. During his first year as president, Obama made many working visits. Barack Obama's international policies have brought geopolitical and economic benefits to the United States. He managed to establish partnerships with China, Russia and Cuba. Barak also tried to improve relations with Venezuela and Iran, but things did not get off the ground. Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for his services to peacekeeping.

Barack Obama's height is 1 meter 85 centimeters. While the height of the Dalai Lama is 1 meter 70 centimeters. Barack Obama's height is average, which allows him to feel comfortable when negotiating with world leaders.

The 44th President of the United States of America did great contribution in domestic policy states. With his help, the children's health insurance system was improved. The Obama administration has become concerned about issues of gender discrimination in pay. The state economy received additional funding banking sector and agribusiness worth more than $787 billion. The changes also affected the tax system. At the initiative of Barack Obama, taxes were reduced for entrepreneurs, trade unions and real estate buyers.

The legislative process for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq dragged on, as there were many opponents of this initiative among government officials. This prevented Obama from fulfilling his campaign promise. The American contingent was withdrawn from Iraq much later deadline- in December 2011. This allowed the incumbent president to be successfully re-elected to a second presidential term. Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, failed to beat Barack Obama.

However, according to Barak himself, not everything in his policy was positive. He considers the invasion of Libya to be his biggest mistake while running the United States. At the same time, he managed to achieve significant success in pursuing economic policy. Many of Obama's colleagues argue that it was thanks to the initiatives of the 44th President of the United States that the economic crisis, which could have developed into a new American depression, was painlessly overcome.

Family and personal life

Barack Obama lives in a happy marriage with his wife Michelle and has two daughters. He met his wife after graduating from Harvard. For a long time they worked together in a legal agency and were colleagues. Barack showed attention to Michelle, but she for a long time didn't notice him. According to Michelle, she looked at Barack from a different perspective when he gave a fiery speech to black teenagers.

After a year of dating, Barack and Michelle got married. This happened on October 3, 1992. After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds went to Kenya to stay with relatives of Barack's father. Since 1998, the family began to have financial problems after the birth of their first daughter, Malia. This happened due to the fact that political activity did not bring significant income to Barack, and Michelle had to go on maternity leave. Michelle asked Barack to return to law, which would provide him with a high and stable income, but he only saw himself as a politician.

In 2001, the family almost broke up due to the birth of their second daughter, Sasha. Serious differences arose between Barack and Michelle as financial problems only worsened with the birth of their second child. According to Michelle's memoirs, their marriage was saved by their daughter Sasha, who fell ill with meningitis. The fight for the daughter’s life erased all differences between the spouses. And after Sasha’s miraculous recovery, Michelle became a faithful support for Barack and his political activity.

What does Barack Obama do after his presidency?

After the inauguration of Donald Trump, Obama was relieved of his post, which he held for 8 years. If you are wondering how old Barack Obama was at the end of his presidency, the answer is 55 years old. At his last press conference, he joked that he was going to sleep it off and also said that he would help disadvantaged children get an education. Barack and his family did not leave Washington, since his daughter Sasha is still continuing her studies at one of the Washington schools.

Barack Obama also continued the good tradition of traveling. However, now he is not visiting diplomatic missions various countries, and tourist resorts. This allows the presidential pension, which amounts to 240 thousand dollars annually. According to unconfirmed sources, Barack Obama is working on his memoirs, as it old tradition all the heads of the White House. Experts predict that his memoirs could become the best-selling of all time. The approximate amount that the 44th president can earn from the sale of his book is $30 million. By comparison, Bill Clinton earned only $15 million.

On at the moment The biography of Barack Obama, who is already 56 years old, is not over yet, as he continues to raise his daughters and do what he loves.

The future US president was born in the Hawaiian Islands, in sunny Honolulu. His father was an ethnic Kenyan, while his mother was an American with European roots. Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham met while still students at the University of Hawaii, where the guy went thanks to the Missionary School, which paid his tuition bills. The future president's father studied econometrics, his mother studied anthropology, and they met at extracurricular activities in Russian. The parents of both lovers were against their relationship, but the young people still got married. This happened on February 2, 1961, when Stanley was already pregnant. After the birth of the child, the girl dropped out of school without hesitation, devoting herself to the baby, while Obama Sr., having graduated from the University of Hawaii, decided to go on to Harvard. Dunham, who followed her husband, soon returned to Hawaii, and after the couple separated, their marriage also broke up - in 1964, the parents of the future politician finally divorced.

Barack Obama Jr., in his own words, remembers little about his father, and the most vivid moment is the month he spent with him at the age of 10. Later, in his biographical book “Dreams of My Father,” he will tell how he gave him a basketball and took him to his first jazz concert. Both later became an integral part of the guy’s life - to this day he is passionate about jazz and basketball. Obama Sr., after divorcing Stanley, returned to Kenya, where he took a good position in the country’s administrative apparatus, but the tragedy that occurred turned everything upside down.

In the early 70s, Obama Sr. got into an accident in his car, as a result of which both legs were amputated. He lost his job, began to drink, but at some point life began to improve - he found a job again, and even got married again, but evil fate haunted him. Literally six months after the birth of another son from his new wife, he was again involved in an accident, this time with a fatal outcome.

As for the mother, she met her love three years after breaking up with Obama Sr. Her chosen one seemed to be Lolo Sutoro, a student from Jakarta, where very soon the whole family moved. Barack, for whom Lolo was able to replace his real father, has a half-sister - Maya.

Education

A significant part of the childhood of the future US president passed in Jakarta. Here he studied at one of the schools from 6 to 10 years old, and then returned to Honolulu, where he graduated from the elite Panehou School in 1979. Barack, like all blacks at that time, often suffered from attacks from classmates. But that didn't stop him from becoming a real star basketball team and graduate with honors. All in the same autobiographical book, the 44th President of the United States later told millions of readers that he once realized that everything in this world was created for white people, and he himself simply did not understand what was wrong with him.

Barack decided to continue his education at Occidental College in Los Angeles, from where a couple of years later he transferred to Columbia University. He graduated from the institution in 1983 with a diploma in political science with a specialization in International Relations. The talented student was noticed even before he received his bachelor's degree. While studying, Obama worked for a large corporation, and then became an employee of the New York Research Center. In 1985, the young man moved to Chicago, where he began working in the social sphere. Three years later, he took up his textbooks again, becoming a student at Harvard Law School.

Beginning of a political career

While still a student at Harvard School and heading the student newspaper, the Harvard Law Review, he was noted by the most authoritative publication, the weekly New York Times. They wrote about the first African American to become its leader in the Lawyers Club's 104 years of existence. At the same time, Obama's image as a politician began to take shape - he appeared before the general public as a zealous fighter for equality. Barack's career developed quite rapidly: in the early 90s he joined the Democratic Party, and already in 1997 he took the post of Illinois state senator. The tragic events that occurred on September 9, 2001 prompted Obama to join the opposition of current US President George W. Bush; he expressed a sharply negative attitude towards his decision to send troops to Iraq, and was also against the signing of a free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Obama served as a senator in Illinois for 8 years, until 2004. He actively worked to unite two opposing parties - Democratic and Republican, while paying due attention to the social sphere. On this issue, Obama focused on supporting low-income families, as well as health insurance for the entire US population.

Presidency

A second attempt to occupy a post in the US federal Senate in 2004 (the first was in 2000) was successful. During this period, Obama became one of the most significant figures in the political arena of the United States. On the wave of universal recognition, he decides to run for president of the United States.

In the confrontation for the presidency of the country, Obama had to fight with Hillary Clinton, who soon gave in to him, while at the same time providing full support.

Barack Obama’s slogan during the 2008 elections was the phrase “Yes We Can,” which found echoes in the hearts of middle-class Americans (this is evidenced by the record amount of donations to support his campaign - $58 million). John McCain, his competitor, on the contrary, relied on representatives of the American elite. The result of this confrontation is well known to everyone. The 44th President of the United States took office on January 20, 2009, and Joe Biden became his right-hand man, which was very opportune - Biden initially supported Obama.

Obama's main achievements as US President

Having officially become the President of the United States, Obama continued what he started, developing and improving the social sphere of the United States. With him light hand Congress revised the provisions of children's health insurance, drawing attention to inequitable distribution cash when paying women's labor, a proposal has been put forward to reduce taxes and much more. The president lifted the taboo on the development of stem cells, and later he allocated a record amount of $3.5 trillion for the development of science in this direction. It was Barack Obama who made the decision to withdraw American troops from Iraq; he also carried out the Obamacare medical reform, the purpose of which was to provide mandatory insurance for every American.

In addition to trying to restore order within the country, Obama confidently decided to improve relations with European countries, and also made every effort to overcome the crisis in cooperation with Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. The president also initiated the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, one of the most terrible places of detention, while simultaneously introducing a ban on the use of interrogation methods that in one way or another cripple a person. In 2009, all of Obama's efforts were recognized Nobel Prize peace.

In 2011, Obama without special effort again beat his opponent in the race for the presidency. This time it was Mitt Romney.

Barack Obama at the end of his presidential term

After Republican Trump took office at the beginning of 2017, Barack Obama had the traditional meeting with his successor. Despite the fact that he always supported Hillary Clinton, he still did not risk breaking the foundations. When asked about further actions, he often laughed it off, talking about being a driver at Uber, but later admitted that he and his wife intended to continue working in the direction they were accustomed to, fully helping children in need.

Personal life

Today Michelle and Barack Obama are an example of an ideal model family relations. Despite the fact that Obama has already left the presidency, the couple continues to be admired in all corners globe. However, this was not always the case.

The future spouses met in the late 80s, when both were employees of the law firm Sidley Austin. The spectacular and purposeful Michelle LaVaughn Robinson initially did not even look in the direction of Barack, who kept trying to attract attention to himself. However, after hearing his heartfelt speech addressed to black teenagers from poor areas of Chicago, she could not contain her emotions.

On October 3, 1992, the couple got married, and instead of a honeymoon, the lovers went to Barack’s homeland - Kenya. The next five years were cloudless, and problems began after the birth of their first daughter, Malia. The reason for this was a total lack of funds - Barack refused to practice law, despite the pressing financial issue, claiming that he saw himself exclusively in politics. The birth of a second daughter in 2001 only made the situation worse. However, a misfortune that happened in the family helped both of them reassess their values ​​- three-month-old baby Sasha fell ill with meningitis. The child's parents did not leave the room for a second, supporting each other as never before. The disease eventually subsided, and Barack and Michelle have since tried not to forget what is most important in life. And they succeed!

After mass shootings in Texas and Ohio former president US Barack Obama issued an official statement for the first time in a long time, condemning radical nationalists and the leaders who inspire them. This is one of the few public statements for lately. After resigning, the politician went into the shadows. His party members and American liberals in general are unhappy with this: given his great popularity, Obama could do more to counter what is happening in the country. the site found out what the ex-president does in his well-deserved retirement.

Obama is one of the most popular presidents in US history, with some even placing him in the top ten. Moreover, unlike his fellow ex-presidents, he is relatively young. All the more disappointing for American liberals was the fact that after resigning, their informal leader retired from politics.

Donald Trump, from his first day in the Oval Office, began to trash Obama's legacy - health care and migration reforms, international treaties, climate agreements. Obama responded sparingly, making statements via social media but never naming his opponent. Nor did he do so when speaking about mass shootings in Texas, Ohio and Illinois.

We must openly condemn the rhetoric emanating from any leader if it creates an atmosphere of fear and hatred or normalizes racist attitudes, Barack Obama wrote on his Twitter page. - Leaders who demonize those who don't look like us, or believe that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or treat other people as inferior, or imply that America belongs to only one group of people.

Of course, by “leaders” Obama meant Trump. But as they told New York Magazine are friends of the ex-head of state, he does not follow every step of the new occupant of the White House and avoids political discussions. Of course, he could not completely avoid participating in politics: at a minimum, he had to help fellow Democrats in the midterm elections. In the upcoming presidential campaign, he is likely to become an influential "surrogate" - a person who replaces a candidate at rallies and other public events while he is in another state. Curiously, Obama has yet to publicly support his former Vice President Joe Biden, who is vying to become the unified Democratic nominee.

According to sources, Obama, in retirement, devoted himself entirely to two initiatives: writing his memoirs and creating a museum and library in his name. Moreover, he does both slowly.

Few former American presidents recent years missed a chance to capitalize on the memories of his time in the White House. Publishing houses are willing to pay good money for the revelations of politicians, because such works are doomed to become bestsellers. It is known that the first black president signed a contract with Penguin Random House for $65 million. First lady Michelle Obama has already released her memoirs entitled “Becoming,” but Barack is late with his book.

Last year, former Obama speechwriter Cody Keenan told New York Magazine that his ex-boss "works best under pressure." And since deadlines are running out, Obama has made it a habit to invite people to his office former employees his administration to reminisce about the old days. Everything is in the best interest future book, of course.

As for the presidential library and museum, they should be located in Chicago, the city where Obama studied, worked as a lawyer and met his future wife. The Obama Foundation was launched during his presidency. Today it combines several initiatives: educational program for blacks My Brother's Keeper Alliance, a scholarship to study at the University of Chicago for young leaders from around the world and, in fact, the future presidential center with a library and museum.

Barack Obama/Global Look Press

Multimillion-dollar royalties for memoirs are not the only way to earn money for former heads states Typically, prominent politicians give paid speeches. Obama's colleague Bill Clinton is especially active in this matter, and his wife Hillary is not idle after losing to Trump. According to media reports, Barack Obama receives $300 thousand for his speeches from such financial institutions as Carlyle, Cantor Fitzgerald and Northern Trust. Very popular Senior politicians also benefit from speeches at universities.

Not particularly in need of money (in addition to fees for publications and speeches, American ex-presidents receive a pension and a paid office with assistants), almost all former owners of the White House help those in need, and Obama is no exception. In addition to a foundation named after himself, together with other ex-presidents, he launched non-profit organization One America Appeal to help victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. By the end of 2017, the fund managed to raise more than $40 million.

In addition, Barack and his wife founded the film company Higher Ground Productions and are planning to film series for the Netflix streaming service.

We created Higher Ground to embrace the power of stories. Therefore we are extremely inspired by this project, Barack Obama told reporters. - Touching on issues of race, class and democracy, civil rights and many others, we believe that each of these projects will not just entertain, but enlighten, connect and inspire us all.

The studio currently has seven projects in development, including an adaptation of Michael Lewis's book The Fifth Risk about the Trump administration and a biography of black rights activist Frederick Douglass.