President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at Christmas 2015 By Cori Murray ·December 23, 2020December 23, 2020
When a young, charismatic Illinois state senator gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the nation’s ideas about what a U.S. President could look like began to shift. But as Barack Obama recounts in A Promised Land, his historic two terms in office were hard-fought. Here, he shares more about his eight years in the White House, including how personalized the Oval House and why it was important for Michelle Obama to uplift the holiday spirit at The White House.
The enthusiasm during your first term in office was in large part created by the fervently hopeful messaging of your campaign. In your recent memoir, you expound on the challenges that could have dampened that hope. How did you maintain your optimism when it seemed, at times, that the world was against you?
BARACK OBAMA: Well, my name’s Barack Hussein Obama and I made it to the White House, so I’ve always been able to maintain a good sense of optimism. What I know is that Americans are fundamentally good and generous. I’ve read thousands of personal letters from them. And I’ve found that as long as I can keep their stories in mind, I stay pretty centered. My time in the White House reminded me of something I’d known about myself for years: I often felt the steadiest when things were going to hell. So setbacks—like losing in New Hampshire in the primary, losing a Senate seat during the push for healthcare reform or any of the many, many potholes we encountered—didn’t shake my faith in what was still possible.
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