Biography of Barack Obama
Barack Obama, the first black president in the history of the United States of America, acquired the status of a legend during his lifetime.
44th President of the United States Barack Hussein Obama II
Today, the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, is called one of the most popular figures in world politics, because he is one of the few people who managed to maintain a human appearance, even reaching the very top of world politics.
Personal life
Barack Obama's personal life is crystal clear and pure. The 44th President of the United States does not hide his wife Michelle Lavon Robinson, with whom he has been married for many years, from society. Unlike her husband, who has royal roots, Michelle Obama is a descendant of black slaves, but this did not stop her from becoming the First Lady of the United States and honorably performing the duties corresponding to her status.
Barack and Michelle Obama
Barack and Michelle Obama met back in 1989, at the dawn of the legal career of the future US president. We, like most young married couples, experienced “gray” family everyday life, quarrels, lack of money and other typical problems of the average family, which sometimes even led to the decision to divorce. However, love for each other and care for their daughters made it possible to save the marriage, and the couple, hand in hand, overcame all difficulties and won the title of the most ideal married couple in the serious world of politics.
Childhood and family
Barack (emphasis on the second a) Hussein Obama II was born in the warm and sunny city of Honolulu, the only metropolis of the Hawaiian Islands. His father, the president's namesake, a native of the Kenyan village of Kanyadyang, entered the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1959 to study economics. While studying, he met an anthropology student, a white American named Stanley Ann Dunham, the mother of the future president. The acquaintance took place at an elective course in the Russian language.
Pictured: Barack Obama's biological parents
Before his marriage to Denham, Obama Sr. was already married to Kenyan Keise Aoko, with whom he had two children - son Malik and daughter Aumu. In 1959, he left his family and flew to the States.
Malik Obama is the half-brother of the US President
Barack Hussein Obama Jr. was born in August 1961. The new mother decided to quit school, while the father, on the contrary, took up science, graduated from the University of Hawaii and, when the youngest Obama was not even three years old, left the family to continue his studies at Harvard. For some time, Barack Obama's parents still maintained relations, but later Obama Sr. was offered a high post in the administrative apparatus of Kenya, and he left the States.
Barack Obama as a child
Subsequently, the president recalled that his memory contains very few memories of his real father - after his departure, the boy spent only one month with him at the age of 10. Then Barack Obama Sr., who visited the States briefly, gave his son the first basketball in his life and took him to his first jazz concert. Both became an integral part of the boy’s hobbies, carried over into adulthood. Many years later, Barack Obama recounted his childhood memories in his biographical book “Dreams from My Father.”
Little Barack Obama and his father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr.
Unfortunately, the life of Barack Obama's father was tragically cut short at the age of 47. Back in the early 70s, he got into an accident, did not die, but lost both legs, and then his job. This knocked the man down; he began to drink and fell into poverty. In 1982, he married again, the couple had a son, and life for Obama Sr. began to improve. But six months after the birth of baby George, he again had an accident - this time ending fatally.
With maternal grandparents
Well, Anne Dunham, three years after breaking up with Obama, met a new love - Lolo Sutoro, a student from Indonesia. He replaced Baraka's father. As a result of this union, the future president’s younger sister, Maya, was born. Some time later, the whole family moved to their stepfather’s historical homeland - Jakarta (Indonesia), where the future leader of America spent most of his childhood.
Barack Obama with his mother, stepfather and half-sister
In the Indonesian capital, Obama Jr. attended public school until the fourth grade. After that, he moved again to the Hawaiian Islands, to his mother’s parents, who sent him to the prestigious private school “Panehou”.
During his school years, Barack was the star of the youth basketball team and excelled in his studies. He received a certificate with the highest score in 1979. In 2008, the president publicly admitted that he abused marijuana at school and tried cocaine and alcohol.
Barack Obama in his youth
During those years, he, like two other black students at school, suffered from constant racist comments directed at him. “One day I suddenly realized that everything in this world was created for whites. Even Santa is white! I stood in front of the mirror for a long time and wondered what was wrong with me,” Obama shared in his memoirs. Barack Obama in Kenya
Childhood
A well-known contemporary politician was born in 1961 in Honolulu. This sunny and warm city is the only metropolis on the Hawaiian Islands. Barack Obama's birthday is August 4th.
The meeting of the boy's parents took place at the University of Hawaii. Barack's father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., was a black Kenyan who came to the United States to receive higher education at the University of Hawaii. The current president's mother is Stanley Any Dunham. This white American woman studied anthropology at the same institution.
When his son was still an infant, Obama Sr. went to Harvard to continue his studies. Due to financial difficulties, his family did not accompany him. For some time, Barack's parents maintained a relationship. However, when his son reached the age of two, Obama Sr. left the United States alone. He moved to live in Kenya, where he was offered a position as an economist in the government apparatus. He filed for divorce from his wife.
Education
After graduating from school, Barack entered Occidental College in Los Angeles, and two years later transferred to Columbia University, from which he graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. He worked in the business sector until 1985, then moved to Chicago, where he began his career as an attorney. For several years in a row he worked on the affairs of residents of disadvantaged areas. In 1989, he went to work for one of the largest law firms in the United States, Sidley Austin.
Barack Obama graduated from Harvard
In 1988, Barack Obama took up his studies again and decided to get a second degree at Harvard University. Here he studied law while heading the university newspaper, the Harvard Law Review. It is quite remarkable that no African American has ever held this position before.
Political career
Already in his youth, Barack Obama established himself as a notorious fighter for equality. With these ideals, he went into politics. In the early nineties, he joined the ranks of the Democratic Party, and in 1997 he was elected senator of the state of Illinois.
Obama is no stranger to humor and self-irony
After the 9/11 terrorist attack, Barack Obama was one of the most vocal opponents of George W. Bush and his decision to send troops to Iraq. He also opposed the creation of the North American Free Trade Area. As for the social sphere, one of the main themes in Obama's political doctrine was support for low-income families and universal health insurance for the population.
Senator Obama (2005)
In 2005 (after an unsuccessful attempt in 2000), Barack Obama took office in the US federal Senate. From that moment on, he became one of the leading figures in the political structure of the United States of America. In February 2007, Barack Obama announced his intention to run for president of the United States. His main competitor for the title of the main Democratic candidate was Hillary Clinton.
Debate: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton
As a result, she conceded to Obama and provided him with whatever support she could throughout his campaign. The ordinary population supported Obama with dollars - about $58 million in donations was collected as part of the presidential campaign. Most of the money belonged to middle-class Americans.
Barack Obama during the 2008 election campaign
The new “people's president” moved forward with the slogan “Yes We Can” and with enormous support from the common population. It is quite remarkable that his main opponent, John McCain, relied primarily on Americans with high incomes.
Inauguration of Barack Obama
In the presidential election on November 4, 2008, Obama defeated Republican candidate John McCain, receiving 52.9% of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7%. 338 of 538 electors voted for Barack Obama.
Yes We Can - Obama's election slogan
On January 20, 2009, a democrat, liberal and the first African-American president in US history occupied the Oval Hall of the White House. His like-minded person, Senator Joe Biden from Delaware, became vice president.
Details of life
Based on my family's experience
Barack promoted equality, emphasizing the fact that America is a democratic country that provides equal opportunities to all its citizens. His popularity grew, and he received special support from part of the low-income population. Barack Obama opposed the entry of US troops into Iraq and was also opposed to the establishment of the North American Free Trade Area.
While serving as a senator, he was simultaneously a member of several committees that dealt with environmental issues, the development of various energy sources, as well as international issues. At the start of the presidential elections (2007), Barack Obama was in second place in the ranking of candidates for the post of head. Hilary Clinton was in the lead in the rating. It is interesting that if at the beginning of the year (in February) Hillary Clinton had 43% of the popular vote, Obama had 15%, but in June this gap was only 3%. In addition, Obama's reputation was so impeccable that about $58 million was raised in support of his election campaign, with a significant part of this amount coming from ordinary citizens - this enabled Obama to refuse government funding. It must be said that Hilary Clinton responded to her defeat with dignity and provided every possible support to Obama throughout the entire election campaign. To this end, the future president promised help in paying off the $22 million debt that had accumulated during her election campaign.
An interesting fact is that no matter what
Obama was a representative of African Americans; the latter did not accept his candidacy for the post of head of state with enthusiasm. Various publications began to appear about Obama that he was a descendant of slave owners (on his mother’s side), and his ancestors on his father’s side were allegedly not oppressed slaves. This was explained by the desire of certain circles to see another candidate as president - he was Republican John McCain.
It should be noted that for America the 2008 elections had a historical background:
— for the first time in history, sitting senators were nominated for the post of president,
- for the first time, both candidates were from continental America (Obama was born in Hawaii, and McCain was born in the Panama Canal area),
— for the first time, the current president and the vice president did not take part in the elections,
- both winners represented a part of the population that was a minority in politics (Obama is the first African-American at this level, and Joseph Biden is a Catholic who became vice president).
On November 4, 2008, a black Barack Obama took the post of head of state for the first time in US history, becoming the 44th president of America, with a 7.2% margin over McCain. The presidential inauguration took place on January 20, 2009.
By the start of Obama's presidency, the United States was experiencing both political and economic instability. The new president, following the planned course, immediately began implementing large-scale reforms in the country:
— an anti-crisis project was developed and approved to carry out measures aimed at stabilizing the economy,
- a decision was made regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq,
- Obamacare health care reform was implemented, according to which the country's population received the opportunity to compulsory insurance.
President Obama considered the introduction of troops into Libya in 2011 to be his mistake in foreign policy. As his presidency drew to a close, Obama announced his intention to participate in the next election campaign. This time his opponent was Republican Mitt Romney.
To the start of a new election campaign
Obama's popularity fell, however, most of the country's citizens again voted for a black president, and he was elected for another term.
For many US presidents, the second term, as a rule, was more successful, but in the case of Obama, everything turned out differently. Problems arose with the promotion of health care reform, anti-crisis measures were also not promoted as actively as planned, and problems also arose in tax policy. The world community expected Obama to take active action in connection with the situations in Ukraine and Syria. The American president approved a law imposing economic sanctions against Russia.
There are different opinions regarding Obama's reign, for example, former American Vice President Dick Cheney expressed the opinion that Barack Obama is considered a weak president, since during his reign the US influence on events in the Middle East has decreased. Cheney suggested that the problem of America's weakness lies in the White House, alluding to Barack Obama.
Presidential personal life: In 1992, Barack Obama married Michelle Lavonne Robinson. The girl was born and raised in an ordinary American family, received an excellent education at Princeton University, and then at Harvard Law School. The life of the spouses developed differently, there were financial problems, however, Obama did not leave politics to improve the financial situation. Among other things, the second daughter of the Obama family became seriously ill. But the family overcame all difficulties. Michelle became assistant dean of the university, later took over the post of head of the Academic Medical Center, and in 2005 began working as the deputy head of the university for public affairs. She actively supported her husband’s decision to participate in the election race, assisting him in everything.
44th President of the United States Barack Obama
During the first hundred days of his presidency, Obama and his team managed to enact a number of important innovations.
Obama persuaded Congress to expand children's health insurance and address pay discrimination against women. $787 billion was invested in the short-term US economy, primarily in the banking market and the auto industry. Obama proposed tax cuts for unions, small businesses and first-time home buyers. The President not only lifted the ban on stem cell development, but also allocated $3.5 trillion for further research.
Obama's speech to Congress
It was at Obama's instigation that the Senate adopted an anti-crisis bill aimed at supporting the American economy, as well as the fateful decision to withdraw troops from Iraq.
Obama carried out health care reform Obamacare, which provided for compulsory health insurance for every US citizen. The set of reforms was the largest in this area in the previous 50 years and went down in history as Obama's biggest undertaking. As part of the project, health insurance became mandatory, significant benefits were provided to the poor, and insurers were prohibited from increasing the cost of the policy if their client had already been diagnosed with a serious illness.
Obamacare made healthcare more accessible to the poor
Obama ordered the closure of the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison and signed an executive order banning crippling interrogation techniques.
The President tried to improve US foreign policy relations with European countries, China, Russia, and attempted dialogue with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. The warming of relations with Cuba occurred even before the death of Fidel Castro, to the displeasure of Republicans, who considered the rapprochement premature. For all his peacekeeping efforts, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
Barack Obama in Cuba: the beginning of a thaw between antagonistic states
Russia became the 14th country that Obama visited in the first year of his presidency. And, apparently, he developed a good relationship with his Russian “colleague” Dmitry Medvedev. Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama eat hamburgers
Obama's main achievements as President of the United States
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 his light hand, Congress revised the provisions of children's health insurance, drew attention to the unfair distribution of funds when paying women's work, put forward a proposal to reduce taxes, and much more. The president lifted the taboo on the development of stem cells, and later he allocated a record amount - 3.5 trillion dollars - 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, Obama's efforts were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2011, Obama again effortlessly beat his opponent in the race for the presidency. This time it was Mitt Romney.
Second term
In the spring of 2011, Obama announced his desire to be re-elected as leader of the United States of America. This time, the African-American president faced Mitt Romney and again secured his place in the Oval Office for the next 4 years. According to the results of the popular vote, he received 51.1% of the vote, 332 electors gave their votes to Obama.
In 2012, Obama's opponent was Republican Mitt Romney.
Shortly after Obama's re-election, an episode of school shooting occurred, which has been called one of the most brutal crimes in the United States in recent years. The 20-year-old shot and killed 26 people (including 20 minors) in December 2012. The topic of a ban on the free circulation of weapons was raised again. The President proposed that Congress take a number of measures, including mandatory questionnaires for everyone who buys a weapon, a ban on the free sale of assault weapons, and a ban on the free sale of weapons with a magazine of more than 10 rounds.
Speaking to the victims' relatives, he could not hold back his tears.
April 2013 brought Obama a new challenge - the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon (3 dead, more than 200 injured). Then there was the scandal with Edward Snowden, who leaked information about intelligence services spying on Internet users. Snowden asked for asylum from the Kremlin, which led to a cooling of the already deteriorating relations between the two countries.
In 2014, the United States began a military campaign against the growing extremist organization Islamic State, whose members were based in Iraq and Syria. In November 2021, Republican Donald Trump became the elected President of the United States. His inauguration was scheduled for January 20, 2021, and until then Barack Obama was the current President of the United States.
Barack Obama meeting with Donald Trump
2 days after the election, the first official meeting between Obama and Trump took place. Despite the fact that Barack supported Hillary Clinton during the election race, he did not break tradition.
Barack Obama with his family (2016)
When the 44th President of the United States was asked what he planned to do after the election, he joked that he planned to get a good night's sleep, and maybe even get a job as an Uber driver. But when it came to serious plans for the future, he noted that together with his wife he would help children from low-income families get a decent education. Obama: about Trump and leaving the presidency
Obama, Barack
Origin, education Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, USA. His father is Kenyan, his mother is a white American, his parents separated in 1963. In 1967-1971. lived with his mother and stepfather in Indonesia (stepfather is Indonesian). Then he lived with his mother’s parents in Honolulu, where in 1979 he graduated from the prestigious Panahou private school. During his school years he was fond of basketball and won the state championship as a member of the Punahou team in 1979. In his memoirs published in 1995, he mentioned that in high school he used marijuana and cocaine. He entered Los Angeles Occidental College, from where he transferred to Columbia University in New York, from which he graduated in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in International Relations, and began working at the International Business Corporation. In 1985, he moved to Chicago, where he practiced law, defended victims of various types of discrimination in courts, worked as part of a charity group providing assistance to low-income people.In 1988-1991 he studied law at Harvard University (Cambridge, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts) and worked as an editor University newspaper Harvard Law Review The senator began his political career in the Illinois State Senate, where he represented the Democratic Party from 1997 to 2004. During this period, he advocated for equal rights, universal health insurance, support for low-income families, and the withdrawal of troops from Iraq , opposed the creation of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA).In 2004, Obama entered the race for the US Senate nomination. He became widely known for his speech at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004, in which he called for political renewal ( This speech is considered an example of oratory). Having won the election, he became the fifth African-American senator in US history. He served from January 2005 to November 2008, representing the state of Illinois. He was a member of the committees on foreign affairs, veterans' affairs, health care, education and pensions, as well as the committee on government affairs. He collaborated with Republicans on a number of issues, including work on government transparency legislation. In August 2005, together with Republican Senator Richard Lugar, he came to Russia (Perm) to inspect Russian nuclear facilities. First presidential term (2009-2013) Won the 2008 presidential election with the votes of 365 members of the Electoral College (US elections are indirect), which nationwide means the support of 69.5 million Americans (52.8%). His Republican opponent, John McCain, received 173 electoral votes or 59.9 million people (45.6%). He took office on January 20, 2009, becoming the first African American to hold this position. He came to power when the global financial and economic crisis, which began in 2008, was in full swing (in the second quarter of 2009, the country's GDP fell by 4.7%, this reduction in economic indicators was the largest since 1946) . The anti-crisis policy of the government of Barack Obama was based on the large-scale American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, adopted in February 2009. This plan, which cost an estimated $787 million and aimed at preserving American industry and millions of jobs, became the largest program ever peacetime economic stimulation in US history. Thanks to it, already in 2010, negative processes in the US economy slowed down. In response to the crisis, structural reforms to health care and education were launched. Having overcome the resistance of Republicans and some Democrats in Congress, the president was able to fulfill his main campaign promise - to introduce universal health insurance. This program, called Obamacare, has become one of the largest-scale projects in US history since the mid-1960s. (the law was adopted in 2010, came into force in 2014). During this period, the war in Iraq was ended and the leadership of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda was destroyed (its leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011). In 2011, the President ordered the participation of the US Air Force in the NATO operation in Libya. Subsequently, he repeatedly stated that although the decision to intervene “was the right one,” failure to prepare for the consequences of overthrowing Gaddafi was the biggest mistake of his presidency. Second presidential term (2013-2017) In 2012, Obama was again elected president of the country. During the elections, he secured the support of 332 members of the Electoral College; nationwide, 65.9 million Americans (51.1%) voted for him; Mitt Romney from the Republican Party received 206 electors or 60 million people (47.2%). He took office on January 20, 2013. One of the main achievements of his second term was the restoration of US economic growth. In 2015, GDP growth was 2.4%. Another area of activity of his administration was social security, promoting health care reform, a plan to invest in science, innovation and education, legalizing the presence of a multi-million army of illegal migrants in the United States and control over small arms and light weapons in the hands of citizens of the country. On many issues, the president was unable to overcome the resistance of Congress (in 2010, Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives, and in 2014, the Senate). Thus, his administration failed to pass through Congress a law banning the sale of semi-automatic weapons (with magazines of more than ten rounds) and verifying the identity of buyers in all gun transactions, as well as legislation related to immigration reform. In this regard, in 2014, the President signed a decree legalizing the stay of 4.7 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and in January 2021, by his personal decree, bypassing the opposition of Congress, new rules for the sale of weapons were introduced (providing for more thorough verification of buyers for delinquency and mental illness, and licensed gun dealers; repealed February 2021). However, these unilateral actions by the President are constitutionally controversial. In June 2016, immigration reform was blocked by the US Supreme Court. In addition, his election promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, made back in 2008, has not been fulfilled. In foreign policy, political scientists credit the president for achieving a nuclear agreement with Iran and normalizing relations with Cuba, which opened a new stage of cooperation with these countries. During the second presidential term, the Obama administration was plagued by scandals, incl. with the launch of health care reform, with the situation surrounding the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, when four Americans, including the US ambassador to Libya, were killed in connection with the activities of tax organizations. In 2013, a scandal erupted around the revelations of former CIA and National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden, when it became known that US intelligence agencies were wiretapping the telephone conversations of world leaders, monitoring 200 million SMS messages daily and collecting information about Internet users. All this led to a decline in the president's popularity. According to Gallup polls, the president was supported by 67-69% of the population when he came to power in January 2009 (the highest rating in his two presidential terms). The lowest level of support - 40% - was recorded 12 times, most recently in November 2014. At the end of the second term in December 2021, it had 55% support. And although Obama is more popular than Republican George W. Bush. before leaving the presidency (Bush's rating in December 2008 was 29%), he is inferior to Democrat Bill Clinton (66% in December 2000). Relations with Russia As for relations with Russia, during the two presidential periods of Barack Obama they moved, according to experts, from the “reset” to the beginning of the “Cold War.” The “reset” policy, launched on the initiative of Barack Obama in 2009, made it possible to agree on a new Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START-3), on cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, Russia’s accession to the WTO and Russia’s assistance in withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. In January 2013, the United States announced its withdrawal from the working group on civil society issues of the bilateral presidential commission created in 2009, explaining this decision by “the adoption by Moscow in the summer of 2012 of a number of anti-democratic laws” (we are talking about amendments to the law on treason and state secrets, a ban on the adoption of Russian orphans by Americans and changes in the rules for non-profit organizations). In general, in bilateral relations there is a lack of progress in many areas, in particular, there are disagreements on such an important topic as the deployment of the American missile defense system in Europe (Russia demands from the American side clear guarantees based on objective geographical and technical criteria that the missile defense system will not directed against Russia). In addition, Washington and Moscow have different points of view on the events of the “Arab Spring” (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya). Another difficult point in bilateral relations is the “Magnitsky Act,” which provides for visa sanctions against persons, according to the United States, responsible for human rights violations. In September 2013, Barack Obama refused a meeting with Vladimir Putin due to the lack of progress in relations. This was followed by a severance of ties in many areas, the introduction of sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities, and a “hunt” for Russian citizens in third countries at the request of the United States. After his presidency, Barack Obama was expected to return to Chicago, where he began his career and where he has a home. However, at the end of his presidential term, he decided to remain in Washington until his youngest daughter Sasha finished school. The former president's main activities are writing a book and creating his own foundation. The Obama Foundation is intended to be a global initiative to develop "new leaders"; in 2021, a joint educational program with the foundation was launched at the University of Chicago, and a presidential center and museum is scheduled to open in the city in 2021. New York Magazine writes that Barack Obama regularly meets with architects working on the project and with potential sponsors. Sources familiar with the situation told the publication that Obama's goal is to raise between $500 million and a billion dollars for the fund's activities; the amount of a one-time donation can reach up to 10 and even 20 million. Among those who have already contributed large sums are the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, millionaire and philanthropist Marc Benioff and Hollywood director and producer JJ Abrams. In May 2021, Barack and Michelle Obama signed a deal with Netflix and created their own production company, Higher Ground Productions, which produces documentaries and feature films. In October 2018, Obama bought the rights to film the book by journalist Michael Lewis, “The Fifth Risk,” which tells about the beginning of the administration of current US President Donald Trump. In August 2021, the couple premiered their first documentary, American Factory, the story of how a Chinese company acquired an abandoned Ohio auto plant formerly owned by General Motors (GM). Other projects Higher Ground Productions is working on include an adaptation of the biography of American writer Frederick Douglass, a series about the fashion industry in New York after World War II, and a children's program about food. In addition, the former president is working on creating his own foundation. The Obama Foundation is conceived as a global initiative to educate “new leaders”: a joint educational program with the foundation has already launched at the University of Chicago in 2021, and a presidential center and museum is scheduled to open in the city in 2021. Barack Obama regularly meets with architects and potential donors. Sources familiar with the situation say the fund needs to raise between $500 million and a billion dollars to operate. The amounts of a one-time donation reached 20 million. Major donors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, millionaire philanthropist Marc Benioff and Hollywood director and producer JJ Abrams. Awards, titles In October 2009, Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. In explaining its choice, the Nobel Committee said that he had "created a new international climate" and contributed to "working for a world without nuclear weapons." In 2009, 2011 and 2012 he topped the list of the most influential people in the world according to the American magazine Forbes (in 2013 and 2014 - second place after V. Putin, in 2015 - third place after V. Putin and A. Merkel). Books, movies, personal life Author of the books: “Dreams from My Father” (1995 and 2004), “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream” (2006) . He received a Grammy Award for the audio version of these books. In 2010, his third book was published - a collection for children “Of Thee I Sing: A letter to My Daughters”. In May 2021, Barack Obama entered into a multi-year contract with the video streaming company Netflix (“Netflix”), providing for participation in the filming of films, TV series and programs. On February 5, 2021, Barack and Michelle Obama announced six new projects with Netflix, including four feature films in the genres of science fiction, autobiography, romance, as well as a thriller series and a series of documentaries. Wife: Michelle Robinson Obama. Daughters: Malia Ann (born in 1998) and Sasha (officially her full name is Natasha, born in 2001). By religion he is a Protestant. See also Barack Obama: results of activities (in numbers) Barack Obama: results of activities as President of the United States (2009-2017)
Personal life of Barack Obama
He met his charming wife Michelle Obama (nee LaVaughn Robinson) during an internship at the Sidley Austin law agency in the late 80s.
At first, Michelle, a lively lawyer, was not at all interested in him from a love point of view, although she was never bored with him and always had something to talk about. For several months, Barack wooed her. Bouquets, sweets, romantic confessions - everything was in vain. But when Michelle heard his fiery speech to black teenagers from the Chicago slums, she realized that she could no longer deny her feelings.
Barack and Michelle Obama in their youth
The wedding of Barack and Michelle Obama took place on October 3, 1992. After the ceremony, the newlyweds traveled to Kenya to visit the groom's relatives. For the next five years, the life of the young couple was cloudless, until their eldest daughter Malia was born in 1998. As soon as Michelle went on maternity leave, it turned out that Barack’s social and political activities did not allow him to support his family at a decent level. “We were as poor as church mice,” Michelle recalled these years. Barack refused to work in his specialty, although it would bring enormous income to the family, claiming that he did not see himself anywhere except in politics.
Barack and Michelle Obama's wedding
In 2001, the couple had a daughter, Sasha, who almost became a catalyst for divorce proceedings. She also saved the marriage of the Obama couple - when at 3 months the baby fell ill with meningitis, the parents did not leave her hospital bed a single step, forgetting about all differences. When a miracle happened and the girl recovered, the couple intuitively compromised: Michelle became a reliable support for her husband in his political activities, and Barack began to spend more time with his family.
Barack Obama and his daughters: Malia and Sasha
Since then, Barack Obama has never forgotten what comes first in his life. Even in the midst of the election race, even in the most difficult days of his presidency, he was attentive and gentle to his wife and remembered important events in the lives of his daughters. Throughout Obama's 8 years of leadership, his family has been a role model.
Barack Obama and his wife are still in love
By the way, the president instilled in his daughters responsibility and a love of work. So, in the summer of 2021, his youngest daughter Sasha found a part-time job... in a fast food restaurant.
Barack Obama's youngest daughter sold burgers
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 signs of attention to Michelle, but she did not notice him for a long time. 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 activities 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 activities.
Barack Obama now
After “retiring,” Barack Obama decided to have a good rest in Polynesia.
Returning to the States, he did not return to Chicago, although the beginning of his political career was connected with this city, but remained in the capital. Barack Obama speaks in America and abroad with lectures and reports on current issues: ecology, refugee problems, political structure. Lecture fees constitute the former president's main income.
Barack Obama in 2021
As the former first person of the state, Obama is entitled to a number of privileges. Including a pension of 240 thousand dollars a year (before taxes), protection for him and his wife for 10 years (i.e. until 2026), covering the costs of transportation and food. Barack Obama is happy that he can spend more time with his family. Together with his wife and children, he goes rafting and kitesurfing and travels a lot
The former president travels a lot with his family.
In 2021, the Obamas became producers at Netflix. Rumor has it that Barack was also offered to write memoirs, the approximate cost of which is estimated at $30 million. In the 2021 presidential election, Barack Obama supports Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate and Obama's former vice president.
