Barack Obama has said that his wife Michelle urged him to spend time with singer Bruce Springsteen to better understand himself.
“She says, ‘you know, he [Springsteen] understands all his failings and flaws as a man, and you don’t seem to understand as well just exactly how messed up you are’,” the former US president said in an interview with CBS on Monday. He replied: “You’re right. No doubt.”
Ms Obama spoke about her marriage in The Michelle Obama Podcast in September 2020. The Obamas have been married since 1992. They met at a Chicago law firm in 1989.
In the podcast, she said there were periods where she wanted to “push Barack out of the window.” But, she added, while these periods can last a long time, sometimes even years, it does not mean that you quit.
Mr Obama recounted his wife’s comments while promoting a new podcast and the forthcoming book Renegades: Born in the USA, for which he has teamed up with Springsteen.
Mr Obama said that the theme for the podcast and the book is also to focus on flaws. “And I think that part of what we tried to do in the podcast was get everybody to feel a little more willing to recognise, you know, our own faults,” he said.
Mr Obama added that the book reflected on how a part of the US population was still waiting to realise their dreams, while another half was witnessing change rapidly.
Springsteen said that many people will feel disaffected by the changes happening in the US. He said that former President Donald Trump had the ability to play on people’s weaknesses. “I think we’re going to be in a lot of trouble if you can’t find a way to engage a lot of people who feel disaffected,” he said.
The book is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.
