Barack Obama Discusses Donald Trump’s Inauguration With Prince Harry

Former United States president Barack Obama has sat down with BBC Radio 4 for a provocative interview. Prince Harry, the interviewer, chatted with Obama about what he was thinking on the day he left office and his plans are for the future.

PRINCE HARRY INTERVIEWS PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

Prince Harry begins by asking Obama what has changed in his morning routine now that he isn’t president anymore, to which Obama responds by affirming he wakes up later. He mentions how he can control his daily schedule, which one cannot do when they’re leading the White House.

Obama does stress, however, that his conviction to his values remains strong. He still hopes the United States and the world can grant kids a decent education, he wants people who’re willing to perform hard work to find a job offering living wages, and he wants to conserve the Earth’s natural resources so future generations can appreciate the planet’s beauty just as his generation has. Obama does lack his former toolset, now needing to rely more “on persuasion than legislation, for example.” He also admits he misses his team and the work they performed together.

Obama was immensely grateful for his wife, Michelle Obama, for being his partner for the eight years of his presidency. However, there were some feelings of concern for the work that was “undone,” as well as how the United States would progress forward. Nevertheless, he did feel a pleasant sensation of “serenity” as he sat through Donald Trump‘s inauguration.

On the opposite end of his political career, the two men also discussed Obama’s relative obscurity when he was elected into the Senate. Obama considers himself lucky that he and Michelle largely escaped the public eye until then. By that point, he and Michelle have established “who they were and what they believed in,” and Obama’s relationships with his family and friends were likewise cemented and have endured past his presidency.

Obama has maintained a relative low-key profile after leaving office. His 38:37-minute interview with his friend, Prince Harry, is the first he’s participated in since leaving office. The entire interview can be found on BBC Radio 4‘s website, and it’s worth listening to.