In late August 1961, a few weeks after he was born, Barack and his mother moved to the University of Washington in Seattle, where they lived for a year. During that time, Barack's father completed his undergraduate degree in economics in Hawaii, graduating in June 1962. He left to attend graduate school on a scholarship at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Arts in economics. Obama's parents divorced in March 1964.[23] Obama Sr. returned to Kenya in 1964, where he married for a third time and worked for the Kenyan government as the Senior Economic Analyst in the Ministry of Finance.[24] He visited his son in Hawaii only once, at Christmas 1971,[25] before he was killed in an automobile accident in 1982, when Obama was 21 years old.[26] Recalling his early childhood, Obama said: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind."[20] He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage.[27]
Obama's Indonesian school record in St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School. Obama was enrolled as "Barry Soetoro" (no. 1), and was wrongly recorded as an Indonesian citizen (no. 3) and a Muslim (no. 4).
At the age of six, Obama and his mother had moved to Indonesia to join his stepfather. From age six to ten, he was registered in school as "Barry"[30] and attended local Indonesian-language schools: Sekolah Dasar Katolik Santo Fransiskus Asisi (St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School) for two years and Sekolah Dasar Negeri Menteng 01 (State Elementary School Menteng 01) for one and a half years, supplemented by English-language Calvert School homeschooling by his mother.[31][32] As a result of his four years in Jakarta, he was able to speak Indonesian fluently as a child.[33] During his time in Indonesia, Obama's stepfather taught him to be resilient and gave him "a pretty hardheaded assessment of how the world works".[34]
In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham. He attended Punahou School—a private college preparatory school—with the aid of a scholarship from fifth grade until he graduated from high school in 1979.[35] In high school, Obama continued to use the nickname "Barry" which he kept until making a visit to Kenya in 1980.[36] Obama lived with his mother and half-sister, Maya Soetoro, in Hawaii for three years from 1972 to 1975 while his mother was a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Hawaii.[37] Obama chose to stay in Hawaii when his mother and half-sister returned to Indonesia in 1975, so his mother could begin anthropology field work.[38] His mother spent most of the next two decades in Indonesia, divorcing Lolo Soetoro in 1980 and earning a PhD degree in 1992, before dying in 1995 in Hawaii following unsuccessful treatment for ovarian and uterine cancer.[39]
Of his years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered— to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect— became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."[40] Obama has also written and talked about using alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my mind".[41] Obama was also a member of the "Choom Gang" (the slang term for smoking marijuana), a self-named group of friends who spent time together and smoked marijuana.[42][43]
Two years after graduating from Columbia, Obama moved from New York to Chicago when he was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project, a faith-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale on Chicago's South Side. He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988.[51][53] He helped set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.[54] Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute.[55] In mid-1988, he traveled for the first time in Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya, where he met many of his paternal relatives for the first time.[56][57]
In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book.[64][66] He then taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, first as a lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and then as a senior lecturer from 1996 to 2004.[67]
From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote, a voter registration campaign with ten staffers and seven hundred volunteer registrars; it achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, leading Crain's Chicago Business to name Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.[68]
In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations," he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher."[69] Obama has a half-sister with whom he was raised (Maya Soetoro-Ng) and seven other half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family, six of them living.[70] Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham,[71] until her death on November 2, 2008,[72] two days before his election to the presidency. Obama also has roots in Ireland; he met with his Irish cousins in Moneygall in May 2011.[73] In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He also shares distant ancestors in common with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, among others.[74][75][76]
Obama lived with anthropologist Sheila Miyoshi Jager while he was a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s.[77] He proposed to her twice, but both Jager and her parents turned him down.[77][78] The relationship was not made public until May 2017, several months after his presidency had ended.[78]
Obama poses in the Green Room of the White House with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, September 2009.
In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed at Sidley Austin.[79] Robinson was assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, and she joined him at several group social functions but declined his initial requests to date.[80] They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.[81] After suffering a miscarriage, Michelle underwent in vitro fertilization to conceive their children.[82] The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born in 1998,[83] followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), in 2001.[84] The Obama daughters attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the Sidwell Friends School.[85] The Obamas had two Portuguese Water Dogs; the first, a male named Bo, was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy.[86] In 2013, Bo was joined by Sunny, a female.[87] Bo died of cancer on May 8, 2021.[88]
Obama is a supporter of the Chicago White Sox, and he threw out the first pitch at the 2005 ALCS when he was still a senator.[89] In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game while wearing a White Sox jacket.[90] He is also primarily a Chicago Bears football fan in the NFL, but in his childhood and adolescence was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and rooted for them ahead of their victory in Super Bowl XLIII 12 days after he took office as president.[91] In 2011, Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House; the team had not visited the White House after their Super Bowl win in 1986 due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.[92] He plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team,[93] and he is left-handed.[94]
In 2005, the Obama family applied the proceeds of a book deal and moved from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6million house (equivalent to $2.5million in 2023) in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago.[95] The purchase of an adjacent lot—and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko—attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.[96]
In December 2007, Money Magazine estimated Obama's net worth at $1.3million (equivalent to $1.9million in 2023).[97] Their 2009 tax return showed a household income of $5.5million—up from about $4.2million in 2007 and $1.6million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.[98][99] On his 2010 income of $1.7million, he gave 14 percent to non-profit organizations, including $131,000 to Fisher House Foundation, a charity assisting wounded veterans' families, allowing them to reside near where the veteran is receiving medical treatments.[100][101] Per his 2012 financial disclosure, Obama may be worth as much as $10million.[102]
Religious views
Obama is a Protestant Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life.[103] He wrote in The Audacity of Hope that he "was not raised in a religious household." He described his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as being detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person... I have ever known", and "a lonely witness for secular humanism." He described his father as a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change."[104]
In January 2008, Obama told Christianity Today: "I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life."[105] On September 27, 2010, Obama released a statement commenting on his religious views, saying:
I'm a Christian by choice. My family didn't—frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't raise me in the church. So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me.[106][107]
In 2016, Obama said that he gets inspiration from a few items that remind him "of all the different people I've met along the way", adding: "I carry these around all the time. I'm not that superstitious, so it's not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times." The items, "a whole bowl full", include rosary beads given to him by Pope Francis, a figurine of the Hindu deity Hanuman, a Coptic cross from Ethiopia, a small Buddha statue given by a monk, and a metal poker chip that used to be the lucky charm of a motorcyclist in Iowa.[113][114]
Legal career
Civil rights attorney
He joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004. In 1994, he was listed as one of the lawyers in Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank, 94 C 4094 (N.D. Ill.). This class action lawsuit was filed in 1994 with Selma Buycks-Roberson as lead plaintiff and alleged that Citibank Federal Savings Bank had engaged in practices forbidden under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act. The case was settled out of court.
From 1994 to 2002, Obama served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago—which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project—and of the Joyce Foundation.[51] He served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999.[51] Obama's law license became inactive in 2007.[115][116]
State Senator Obama and others celebrate the naming of a street in Chicago after ShoreBank co-founder Milton Davis in 1998.
Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, succeeding Democratic State Senator Alice Palmer from Illinois's 13th District, which, at that time, spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park–Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.[117] Once elected, Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation that reformed ethics and health care laws.[118][119] He sponsored a law that increased tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[120] In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor George Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures.[121][122]
In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority, regained a majority.[126] He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations.[120][127][128][129] During his 2004 general election campaign for the U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.[130] Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.[131]
Obama campaign yard sign in Chicago, c.November 2004
In May 2002, Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race. He created a campaign committee, began raising funds, and lined up political media consultant David Axelrod by August 2002. Obama formally announced his candidacy in January 2003.[132]
Obama was an early opponent of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq.[133] On October 2, 2002, the day President Bush and Congress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[134] Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally,[135] and spoke out against the war.[136] He addressed another anti-war rally in March 2003 and told the crowd "it's not too late" to stop the war.[137]
Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol Moseley Braun not to participate in the election resulted in wide-open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving 15 candidates.[138] In the March 2004 primary election, Obama won in an unexpected landslide—which overnight made him a rising star within the national Democratic Party, started speculation about a presidential future, and led to the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father.[139] In July 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention,[140] seen by nine million viewers. His speech was well received and elevated his status within the Democratic Party.[141]
Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004.[142] Six weeks later, Alan Keyes accepted the Republican nomination to replace Ryan.[143] In the November 2004 general election, Obama won with 70 percent of the vote, the largest margin of victory for a Senate candidate in Illinois history.[144] He took 92 of the state's 102 counties, including several where Democrats traditionally do not do well.
In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.[151][152] In January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which was signed into law in September 2007.[153][154]
Later in 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act to add safeguards for personality-disorder military discharges.[155] This amendment passed the full Senate in the spring of 2008.[156] He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, which was never enacted but later incorporated in the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010;[157] and co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism.[158] Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.[159]
Numerous candidates entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries. The field narrowed to Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton after early contests, with the race remaining close throughout the primary process, but Obama gained a steady lead in pledged delegates due to better long-range planning, superior fundraising, dominant organizing in caucus states, and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules.[169] On June 2, 2008, Obama had received enough votes to clinch his nomination. After an initial hesitation to concede, on June 7, Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Obama.[170] On August 23, 2008, Obama announced his selection of Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate.[171] Obama selected Biden from a field speculated to include former Indiana Governor and Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.[171] At the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Hillary Clinton called for her supporters to endorse Obama, and she and Bill Clinton gave convention speeches in his support.[172][173] Obama delivered his acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High stadium to a crowd of about eighty-four thousand; the speech was viewed by over three million people worldwide.[174][175][176] During both the primary process and the general election, Obama's campaign set numerous fundraising records, particularly in the quantity of small donations.[177] On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.[178]
John McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate, and he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate. Obama and McCain engaged in three presidential debates in September and October 2008.[179] On November 4, Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 received by McCain.[180] Obama won 52.9 percent of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7 percent.[181] He became the first African-American to be elected president.[182] Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago's Grant Park.[183][184] He is one of the three United States senators moved directly from the U.S. Senate to the White House, the others being Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy.[185]
On April 4, 2011, Obama filed election papers with the Federal Election Commission and then announced his reelection campaign for 2012 in a video titled "It Begins with Us" that he posted on his website.[186][187][188] As the incumbent president, he ran virtually unopposed in the Democratic Party presidential primaries,[189] and on April 3, 2012, Obama secured the 2778 convention delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.[190] At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Obama and Joe Biden were formally nominated by former President Bill Clinton as the Democratic Party candidates for president and vice president in the general election. Their main opponents were Republicans Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.[191]
On November 6, 2012, Obama won 332 electoral votes, exceeding the 270 required for him to be reelected as president.[192][193][194] With 51.1 percent of the popular vote,[195] Obama became the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win the majority of the popular vote twice.[196][197] Obama addressed supporters and volunteers at Chicago's McCormick Place after his reelection and said: "Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties."[198][199]
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president took place on January 20, 2009. In his first few days in office, Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda directing the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw troops from Iraq.[200] He ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp,[201] but Congress prevented the closure by refusing to appropriate the required funds[202][203] and preventing moving any Guantanamo detainee.[204] Obama reduced the secrecy given to presidential records.[205] He also revoked President George W. Bush's restoration of President Ronald Reagan's Mexico City policy which prohibited federal aid to international family planning organizations that perform or provide counseling about abortion.[206]
The first bill signed into law by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, relaxing the statute of limitations for equal-pay lawsuits.[207] Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program to cover an additional four million uninsured children.[208] In March 2009, Obama reversed a Bush-era policy that had limited funding of embryonic stem cell research and pledged to develop "strict guidelines" on the research.[209]
Obama appointed two women to serve on the Supreme Court in the first two years of his presidency. He nominated Sonia Sotomayor on May 26, 2009, to replace retiring Associate JusticeDavid Souter. She was confirmed on August 6, 2009,[210] becoming the first Supreme Court Justice of Hispanic descent.[211] Obama nominated Elena Kagan on May 10, 2010, to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. She was confirmed on August 5, 2010, bringing the number of women sitting simultaneously on the Court to three for the first time in American history.[212]
In July 2009, Obama launched the Priority Enforcement Program, an immigration enforcement program that had been pioneered by George W. Bush, and the Secure Communities fingerprinting and immigration status data-sharing program.[213]
On January 16, 2013, one month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Obama signed 23 executive orders and outlined a series of sweeping proposals regarding gun control.[215] He urged Congress to reintroduce an expired ban on military-style assault weapons, such as those used in several recent mass shootings, impose limits on ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, introduce background checks on all gun sales, pass a ban on possession and sale of armor-piercing bullets, introduce harsher penalties for gun-traffickers, especially unlicensed dealers who buy arms for criminals and approving the appointment of the head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the first time since 2006.[216] On January 5, 2016, Obama announced new executive actions extending background check requirements to more gun sellers.[217] In a 2016 editorial in The New York Times, Obama compared the struggle for what he termed "common-sense gun reform" to women's suffrage and other civil rights movements in American history.
In 2011, Obama signed a four-year renewal of the Patriot Act.[218] Following the 2013 global surveillance disclosures by whistleblowerEdward Snowden, Obama condemned the leak as unpatriotic,[219] but called for increased restrictions on the National Security Agency (NSA) to address violations of privacy.[220][221] Obama continued and expanded surveillance programs set up by George W. Bush, while implementing some reforms.[222] He supported legislation that would have limited the NSA's ability to collect phone records in bulk under a single program and supported bringing more transparency to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).[222]
In his speeches as president, Obama did not make more overt references to race relations than his predecessors,[223][224] but according to one study, he implemented stronger policy action on behalf of African-Americans than any president since the Nixon era.[225]
Following Obama's election, many pondered the existence of a "post-racial America".[226][227] However, lingering racial tensions quickly became apparent,[226][228] and many African-Americans expressed outrage over what they saw as an intense racial animosity directed at Obama.[229] The acquittal of George Zimmerman following the killing of Trayvon Martin sparked national outrage, leading to Obama giving a speech in which he said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago."[230] The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missourisparked a wave of protests.[231] These and other events led to the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement, which campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people.[231] Though Obama entered office reluctant to talk about race, by 2014 he began openly discussing the disadvantages faced by many members of minority groups.[232]
Several incidents during Obama's presidency generated disapproval from the African-American community and with law enforcement, and Obama sought to build trust between law enforcement officials and civil rights activists, with mixed results. Some in law enforcement criticized Obama's condemnation of racial bias after incidents in which police action led to the death of African-American men, while some racial justice activists criticized Obama's expressions of empathy for the police.[233] In a March 2016 Gallup poll, nearly one third of Americans said they worried "a great deal" about race relations, a higher figure than in any previous Gallup poll since 2001.[234]
As a candidate for the Illinois state senate in 1996, Obama stated he favored legalizing same-sex marriage.[240] During his Senate run in 2004, he said he supported civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex partners but opposed same-sex marriages.[241] In 2008, he reaffirmed this position by stating "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage."[242] On May 9, 2012, shortly after the official launch of his campaign for re-election as president, Obama said his views had evolved, and he publicly affirmed his personal support for the legalization of same-sex marriage, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so.[243][244] During his second inaugural address on January 21, 2013,[199] Obama became the first U.S. president in office to call for full equality for gay Americans, and the first to mention gay rights or the word "gay" in an inaugural address.[245][246] In 2013, the Obama administration filed briefs that urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex couples in the cases of Hollingsworth v. Perry (regarding same-sex marriage)[247] and United States v. Windsor (regarding the Defense of Marriage Act).[248]
Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry[252] in March 2009, renewing loans for General Motors (GM) and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing. Over the following months the White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat[253] and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a temporary 60 percent equity stake in the company.[254] In June 2009, dissatisfied with the pace of economic stimulus, Obama called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment.[255] He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System, known colloquially as "Cash for Clunkers", which temporarily boosted the economy.[256][257][258]
The Bush and Obama administrations authorized spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury. These guarantees totaled about $11.5trillion, but only $3trillion had been spent by the end of November 2009.[259] On August 2, 2011, after a lengthy congressional debate over whether to raise the nation's debt limit, Obama signed the bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011. The legislation enforced limits on discretionary spending until 2021, established a procedure to increase the debt limit, created a Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to propose further deficit reduction with a stated goal of achieving at least $1.5trillion in budgetary savings over 10 years, and established automatic procedures for reducing spending by as much as $1.2trillion if legislation originating with the new joint select committee did not achieve such savings.[260] By passing the legislation, Congress was able to prevent a U.S. governmentdefault on its obligations.[261]
The unemployment rate rose in 2009, reaching a peak in October at 10.0 percent and averaging 10.0 percent in the fourth quarter. Following a decrease to 9.7 percent in the first quarter of 2010, the unemployment rate fell to 9.6 percent in the second quarter, where it remained for the rest of the year.[262] Between February and December 2010, employment rose by 0.8 percent, which was less than the average of 1.9 percent experienced during comparable periods in the past four employment recoveries.[263] By November 2012, the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent,[264] decreasing to 6.7 percent in the last month of 2013.[265] During 2014, the unemployment rate continued to decline, falling to 6.3 percent in the first quarter.[266] GDP growth returned in the third quarter of 2009, expanding at a rate of 1.6 percent, followed by a 5.0 percent increase in the fourth quarter.[267] Growth continued in 2010, posting an increase of 3.7 percent in the first quarter, with lesser gains throughout the rest of the year.[267] In July 2010, the Federal Reserve noted that economic activity continued to increase, but its pace had slowed, and chairman Ben Bernanke said the economic outlook was "unusually uncertain".[268] Overall, the economy expanded at a rate of 2.9 percent in 2010.[269]
Job growth during the presidency of Obama compared to other presidents, as measured as a cumulative percentage change from month after inauguration to end of his term
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and a broad range of economists credit Obama's stimulus plan for economic growth.[272][273] The CBO released a report stating that the stimulus bill increased employment by 1–2.1million,[273][274][275] while conceding that "it is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."[272] Although an April 2010, survey of members of the National Association for Business Economics showed an increase in job creation (over a similar January survey) for the first time in two years, 73 percent of 68 respondents believed the stimulus bill has had no impact on employment.[276] The economy of the United States has grown faster than the other original NATO members by a wider margin under President Obama than it has anytime since the end of World War II.[277] The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development credits the much faster growth in the United States to the stimulus plan of the U.S. and the austerity measures in the European Union.[278]
Within a month of the 2010 midterm elections, Obama announced a compromise deal with the Congressional Republican leadership that included a temporary, two-year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of unemployment benefits, and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes.[279] The compromise overcame opposition from some in both parties, and the resulting $858billion (equivalent to $1.2 trillion in 2023) Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 passed with bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress before Obama signed it on December 17, 2010.[280]
On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a major sustained oil leak. Obama visited the Gulf, announced a federal investigation, and formed a bipartisan commission to recommend new safety standards, after a review by Secretary of the InteriorKen Salazar and concurrent Congressional hearings. He then announced a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases, pending regulatory review.[283] As multiple efforts by BP failed, some in the media and public expressed confusion and criticism over various aspects of the incident, and stated a desire for more involvement by Obama and the federal government.[284] Prior to the oil spill, on March 31, 2010, Obama ended a ban on oil and gas drilling along the majority of the East Coast of the United States and along the coast of northern Alaska in an effort to win support for an energy and climate bill and to reduce foreign imports of oil and gas.[285]
In July 2013, Obama expressed reservations and said he "would reject the Keystone XL pipeline if it increased carbon pollution [or] greenhouse emissions."[286][287] On February 24, 2015, Obama vetoed a bill that would have authorized the pipeline.[288] It was the third veto of Obama's presidency and his first major veto.[289]
In December 2016, Obama permanently banned new offshore oil and gas drilling in most United States-owned waters in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans using the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Act.[290][291][292]
Obama emphasized the conservation of federal lands during his term in office. He used his power under the Antiquities Act to create 25 new national monuments during his presidency and expand four others, protecting a total of 553,000,000 acres (224,000,000ha) of federal lands and waters, more than any other U.S. president.[293][294][295]
Obama called for Congress to pass legislation reforming health care in the United States, a key campaign promise and a top legislative goal.[296] He proposed an expansion of health insurance coverage to cover the uninsured, cap premium increases, and allow people to retain their coverage when they leave or change jobs. His proposal was to spend $900billion over ten years and include a government insurance plan, also known as the public option, to compete with the corporate insurance sector as a main component to lowering costs and improving quality of health care. It would also make it illegal for insurers to drop sick people or deny them coverage for pre-existing conditions, and require every American to carry health coverage. The plan also includes medical spending cuts and taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive plans.[297][298]
On July 14, 2009, House Democratic leaders introduced a 1,017-page plan for overhauling the U.S. health care system, which Obama wanted Congress to approve by the end of 2009.[296] After public debate during the Congressional summer recess of 2009, Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress on September 9 where he addressed concerns over the proposals.[300] In March 2009, Obama lifted a ban on using federal funds for stem cell research.[301]
On November 7, 2009, a health care bill featuring the public option was passed in the House.[302][303] On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its own bill—without a public option—on a party-line vote of 60–39.[304] On March 21, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, colloquially "Obamacare") passed by the Senate in December was passed in the House by a vote of 219 to 212. Obama signed the bill into law on March 23, 2010.[305]
The ACA includes health-related provisions, most of which took effect in 2014, including expanding Medicaid eligibility for people making up to 133 percentof the federal poverty level (FPL) starting in 2014,[306] subsidizing insurance premiums for people making up to 400 percentof the FPL ($88,000 for family of four in 2010) so their maximum "out-of-pocket" payment for annual premiums will be from 2 percent to 9.5 percent of income,[307] providing incentives for businesses to provide health care benefits, prohibiting denial of coverage and denial of claims based on pre-existing conditions, establishing health insurance exchanges, prohibiting annual coverage caps, and support for medical research. According to White House and CBO figures, the maximum share of income that enrollees would have to pay would vary depending on their income relative to the federal poverty level.[308]
Percentage of Individuals in the United States without Health Insurance, 1963–2015 (Source: JAMA)
The costs of these provisions are offset by taxes, fees, and cost-saving measures, such as new Medicare taxes for those in high-income brackets, taxes on indoor tanning, cuts to the Medicare Advantage program in favor of traditional Medicare, and fees on medical devices and pharmaceutical companies;[310] there is also a tax penalty for those who do not obtain health insurance, unless they are exempt due to low income or other reasons.[311] In March 2010, the CBO estimated that the net effect of both laws will be a reduction in the federal deficit by $143billion over the first decade.[312]
The law faced several legal challenges, primarily based on the argument that an individual mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance was unconstitutional. On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5–4 vote in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that the mandate was constitutional under the U.S. Congress's taxing authority.[313] In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby the Court ruled that "closely-held" for-profit corporations could be exempt on religious grounds under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act from regulations adopted under the ACA that would have required them to pay for insurance that covered certain contraceptives. In June 2015, the Court ruled 6–3 in King v. Burwell that subsidies to help individuals and families purchase health insurance were authorized for those doing so on both the federal exchange and state exchanges, not only those purchasing plans "established by the State", as the statute reads.[314]
In February and March 2009, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration.[315] Obama attempted to reach out to Arab leaders by granting his first interview to an Arab satellite TV network, Al Arabiya.[316] On March 19, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world, releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran.[317][318] On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "A New Beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.[319] On June 26, 2009, Obama condemned the Iranian government's actions towards protesters following Iran's 2009 presidential election.[320]
In 2011, Obama ordered a drone strike in Yemen which targeted and killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an American imam suspected of being a leading Al-Qaeda organizer. al-Awlaki became the first U.S. citizen to be targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike. TheDepartment of Justice released a memo justifying al-Awlaki's death as a lawful act of war,[321] while civil liberties advocates described it as a violation of al-Awlaki's constitutional right to due process. The killing led to significant controversy.[322] His teenage son and young daughter, also Americans, were later killed in separate US military actions, although they were not targeted specifically.[323][324]
In March 2015, Obama declared that he had authorized U.S. forces to provide logistical and intelligence support to the Saudis in their military intervention in Yemen, establishing a "Joint Planning Cell" with Saudi Arabia.[325][326] In 2016, the Obama administration proposed a series of arms deals with Saudi Arabia worth $115billion.[327] Obama halted the sale of guided munition technology to Saudi Arabia after Saudi warplanes targeted a funeral in Yemen's capital Sanaa, killing more than 140 people.[328]
On February 27, 2009, Obama announced that combat operations in Iraq would end within 18 months.[330] The Obama administration scheduled the withdrawal of combat troops to be completed by August 2010, decreasing troop's levels from 142,000 while leaving a transitional force of about 50,000 in Iraq until the end of 2011. On August 19, 2010, the last U.S. combat brigade exited Iraq. Remaining troops transitioned from combat operations to counter-terrorism and the training, equipping, and advising of Iraqi security forces.[331][332] On August 31, 2010, Obama announced that the United States combat mission in Iraq was over.[333] On October 21, 2011, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq in time to be "home for the holidays."[334]
In June 2014, following the capture of Mosul by ISIL, Obama sent 275 troops to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. ISIS continued to gain ground and to commit widespread massacres and ethnic cleansing.[335][336] In August 2014, during the Sinjar massacre, Obama ordered a campaign of U.S. airstrikes against ISIL.[337] By the end of 2014, 3,100 American ground troops were committed to the conflict[338] and 16,000 sorties were flown over the battlefield, primarily by U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots.[339] In early 2015, with the addition of the "Panther Brigade" of the 82nd Airborne Division the number of U.S. ground troops in Iraq increased to 4,400,[340] and by July American-led coalition air forces counted 44,000 sorties over the battlefield.[341]
Obama after a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left) and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (right), May 2009
In his election campaign, Obama called the war in Iraq a "dangerous distraction" and that emphasis should instead be put on the war in Afghanistan,[342] the region he cites as being most likely where an attack against the United States could be launched again.[343] Early in his presidency, Obama moved to bolster U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan. He announced an increase in U.S. troop levels to 17,000 military personnel in February 2009 to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires."[344] He replaced the military commander in Afghanistan, General David D. McKiernan, with former Special Forces commander Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal in May 2009, indicating that McChrystal's Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war.[345] On December 1, 2009, Obama announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 military personnel to Afghanistan and proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date;[346] this took place in July 2011. David Petraeus replaced McChrystal in June 2010, after McChrystal's staff criticized White House personnel in a magazine article.[347] In February 2013, Obama said the U.S. military would reduce the troop level in Afghanistan from 68,000 to 34,000 U.S. troops by February 2014.[348] In October 2015, the White House announced a plan to keep U.S. Forces in Afghanistan indefinitely in light of the deteriorating security situation.[349]
Regarding neighboring Pakistan, Obama called its tribal border region the "greatest threat" to the security of Afghanistan and Americans, saying that he "cannot tolerate a terrorist sanctuary." In the same speech, Obama claimed that the U.S. "cannot succeed in Afghanistan or secure our homeland unless we change our Pakistan policy."[350]
Starting with information received from Central Intelligence Agency operatives in July 2010, the CIA developed intelligence over the next several months that determined what they believed to be the hideout of Osama bin Laden. He was living in seclusion in a large compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a suburban area 35 miles (56km) from Islamabad.[351] CIA head Leon Panetta reported this intelligence to President Obama in March 2011.[351] Meeting with his national security advisers over the course of the next six weeks, Obama rejected a plan to bomb the compound, and authorized a "surgical raid" to be conducted by United States Navy SEALs.[351] The operation took place on May 1, 2011, and resulted in the shooting death of bin Laden and the seizure of papers, computer drives and disks from the compound.[352][353] DNA testing was one of five methods used to positively identify bin Laden's corpse,[354] which was buried at sea several hours later.[355] Within minutes of the President's announcement from Washington, DC, late in the evening on May 1, there were spontaneous celebrations around the country as crowds gathered outside the White House, and at New York City's Ground Zero and Times Square.[352][356]Reaction to the announcement was positive across party lines, including from former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.[357]
Obama meeting with Cuban President Raúl Castro in Panama, April 2015
Since the spring of 2013, secret meetings were conducted between the United States and Cuba in the neutral locations of Canada and Vatican City.[358] The Vatican first became involved in 2013 when Pope Francis advised the U.S. and Cuba to exchange prisoners as a gesture of goodwill.[359] On December 10, 2013, Cuban President Raúl Castro, in a significant public moment, greeted and shook hands with Obama at the Nelson Mandela memorial service in Johannesburg.[360]
In December 2014, after the secret meetings, it was announced that Obama, with Pope Francis as an intermediary, had negotiated a restoration of relations with Cuba, after nearly sixty years of détente.[361] Popularly dubbed the Cuban Thaw, The New Republic deemed the Cuban Thaw to be "Obama's finest foreign policy achievement."[362] On July 1, 2015, President Obama announced that formal diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States would resume, and embassies would be opened in Washington and Havana.[363] The countries' respective "interests sections" in one another's capitals were upgraded to embassies on July 20 and August 13, 2015, respectively.[364] Obama visited Havana, Cuba for two days in March 2016, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to arrive since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.[365]
During the initial years of the Obama administration, the U.S. increased military cooperation with Israel, including increased military aid, re-establishment of the U.S.-Israeli Joint Political Military Group and the Defense Policy Advisory Group, and an increase in visits among high-level military officials of both countries.[366] The Obama administration asked Congress to allocate money toward funding the Iron Dome program in response to the waves of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.[367] In March 2010, Obama took a public stance against plans by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building Jewish housing projects in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.[368][369] In 2011, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, with the United States being the only nation to do so.[370] Obama supports the two-state solution to the Arab–Israeli conflict based on the 1967 borders with land swaps.[371]
In 2013, Jeffrey Goldberg reported that, in Obama's view, "with each new settlement announcement, Netanyahu is moving his country down a path toward near-total isolation."[372] In 2014, Obama likened the Zionist movement to the civil rights movement in the United States. He said both movements seek to bring justice and equal rights to historically persecuted peoples, explaining: "To me, being pro-Israel and pro-Jewish is part and parcel with the values that I've been fighting for since I was politically conscious and started getting involved in politics."[373] Obama expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.[374] In 2015, Obama was harshly criticized by Israel for advocating and signing the Iran Nuclear Deal; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had advocated the U.S. congress to oppose it, said the deal was "dangerous" and "bad."[375]
On December 23, 2016, under the Obama Administration, the United States abstained from United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories as a violation of international law, effectively allowing it to pass.[376] Netanyahu strongly criticized the Obama administration's actions,[377][378] and the Israeli government withdrew its annual dues from the organization, which totaled $6million, on January 6, 2017.[379] On January 5, 2017, the United States House of Representatives voted 342–80 to condemn the UN Resolution.[380][381]
In February 2011, protests in Libya began against long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi as part of the Arab Spring. They soon turned violent. In March, as forces loyal to Gaddafi advanced on rebels across Libya, calls for a no-fly zone came from around the world, including Europe, the Arab League, and a resolution[382] passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.[383] In response to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 on March 17, the Foreign Minister of Libya Moussa Koussa announced a ceasefire. However Gaddafi's forces continued to attack the rebels.[384]
On March 19, a multinational coalition led by France and the United Kingdom with Italian and U.S. support, approved by Obama, took part in air strikes to destroy the Libyan government's air defense capabilities to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly-zone,[385] including the use of Tomahawk missiles, B-2 Spirits, and fighter jets.[386][387][388] Six days later, on March 25, by unanimous vote of all its 28 members, NATO took over leadership of the effort, dubbed Operation Unified Protector.[389] Some members of Congress[390] questioned whether Obama had the constitutional authority to order military action in addition to questioning its cost, structure and aftermath.[391][392] In 2016 Obama said "Our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind" and that it was "a mess".[393] He has stated that the lack of preparation surrounding the days following the government's overthrow was the "worst mistake" of his presidency.[394]
On August 18, 2011, several months after the start of the Syrian civil war, Obama issued a written statement that said: "The time has come for President Assad to step aside."[395] This stance was reaffirmed in November 2015.[396] In 2012, Obama authorized multiple programs run by the CIA and the Pentagon to train anti-Assad rebels.[397] The Pentagon-run program was later found to have failed and was formally abandoned in October 2015.[398][399]
On October 1, 2009, the Obama administration went ahead with a Bush administration program, increasing nuclear weapons production. The "Complex Modernization" initiative expanded two existing nuclear sites to produce new bomb parts. In November 2013, the Obama administration opened negotiations with Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, which included an interim agreement. Negotiations took two years with numerous delays, with a deal being announced on July 14, 2015. The deal titled the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" saw sanctions removed in exchange for measures that would prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. While Obama hailed the agreement as being a step towards a more hopeful world, the deal drew strong criticism from Republican and conservative quarters, and from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[404][405][406] In addition, the transfer of $1.7billion in cash to Iran shortly after the deal was announced was criticized by the Republican party. The Obama administration said that the payment in cash was because of the "effectiveness of U.S. and international sanctions."[407] In order to advance the deal, the Obama administration shielded Hezbollah from the Drug Enforcement Administration's Project Cassandra investigation regarding drug smuggling and from the Central Intelligence Agency.[408][409] On a side note, the very same year, in December 2015, Obama started a $348billion worth program to back the biggest U.S. buildup of nuclear arms since Ronald Reagan left the White House.[410]
Obama meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2015.
In March 2010, an agreement was reached with the administration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new pact reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons in the arsenals of both countries by about a third.[411] Obama and Medvedev signed the New START treaty in April 2010, and the U.S. Senate ratified it in December 2010.[412] In December 2011, Obama instructed agencies to consider LGBT rights when issuing financial aid to foreign countries.[413] In August 2013, he criticized Russia's law that discriminates against gays,[414] but he stopped short of advocating a boycott of the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.[415]
Obama's family history, upbringing, and Ivy League education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.[418] Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[419] Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."[420] Additionally, Obama has frequently been referred to as an exceptional orator.[421] During his pre-inauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency, Obama delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses.[422]
Job approval
Graph of Obama's approval ratings per Gallup
According to the Gallup Organization, Obama began his presidency with a 68 percent approval rating,[423] the fifth highest for a president following their swearing in.[424] His ratings remained above the majority level until November 2009[425] and by August 2010 his approval was in the low 40s,[426] a trend similar to Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's first years in office.[427] Following the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, Obama experienced a small poll bounce and steadily maintained 50–53 percent approval for about a month, until his approval numbers dropped back to the low 40s.[428][429][430]
His approval rating fell to 38 percent on several occasions in late 2011[431] before recovering in mid-2012 with polls showing an average approval of 50 percent.[432] After his second inauguration in 2013, Obama's approval ratings remained stable around 52 percent[433] before declining for the rest of the year and eventually bottoming out at 39 percent in December.[428] In polling conducted before the 2014 midterm elections, Obama's approval ratings were at their lowest[434][435] with his disapproval rating reaching a high of 57 percent.[428][436][437] His approval rating continued to lag throughout most of 2015 but began to reach the high 40s by the end of the year.[428][438] According to Gallup, Obama's approval rating reached 50 percent in March 2016, a level unseen since May 2013.[428][439] In polling conducted January 16–19, 2017, Obama's final approval rating was 59 percent, which placed him on par with George H. W. Bush and Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose final Gallup ratings also measured in the high 50s.[440]
Obama has maintained relatively positive public perceptions after his presidency.[441] In Gallup's retrospective approval polls of former presidents, Obama garnered a 63 percent approval rating in 2018 and again in 2023, ranking him the fourth most popular president since World War II.[442][443]
Foreign perceptions
Polls showed strong support for Obama in other countries both before and during his presidency.[444][445][446] In a February 2009 poll conducted in Western Europe and the U.S. by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most respected world leader, as well as the most powerful.[447] In a similar poll conducted by Harris in May 2009, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn.[448][449]
On October 9, 2009—only nine months into his first term—the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples",[450] which drew a mixture of praise and criticism from world leaders and media figures.[451][452][453][454] He became the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office.[455] He himself called it a "call to action" and remarked: "I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations".[456]
In 2009 the saying "thanks, Obama" first appeared in a Twitter hashtag "#thanks Obama" and was later used in a demotivational poster. It was later adopted satirically to blame Obama for any socio-economic ills. Obama himself used the phrase in video in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 the phrase was used by Stephen Colbert to express gratitude to Obama on his last day in office. In 2022, President Joe Biden's Twitter account posted the phrase.
Post-presidency (2017–present)
Obama playing golf with Argentinian president Mauricio Macri, October 2017
Obama's presidency ended on January 20, 2017, upon the inauguration of his successor, Donald Trump.[457][458] The family moved to a house they rented in Kalorama, Washington, D.C.[459] On March 2, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum awarded the Profile in Courage Award to Obama "for his enduring commitment to democratic ideals and elevating the standard of political courage."[460] His first public appearance since leaving the office was a seminar at the University of Chicago on April 24, where he appealed for a new generation to participate in politics.[461] On September 7, Obama partnered with former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush to work with One America Appeal to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in the Gulf Coast and Texas communities.[462] From October 31 to November 1, Obama hosted the inaugural summit of the Obama Foundation,[463] which he intended to be the central focus of his post-presidency and part of his ambitions for his subsequent activities following his presidency to be more consequential than his time in office.[464]
Obama was reluctant to make an endorsement in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries because he wanted to position himself to unify the party, regardless of the nominee.[472] On April 14, 2020, Obama endorsed Biden, the presumptive nominee, for president in the presidential election, stating that he has "all the qualities we need in a president right now."[473][474] In May, Obama criticized President Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling his response to the crisis "an absolute chaotic disaster", and stating that the consequences of the Trump presidency have been "our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before."[475] On November 17, Obama's presidential memoir, A Promised Land, was released.[476][477][478]
In February 2021, Obama and musician Bruce Springsteen started a podcast called Renegades: Born in the USA where the two talk about "their backgrounds, music and their 'enduring love of America.'"[479][480] Later that year, Regina Hicks had signed a deal with Netflix, in a venture with his and Michelle's Higher Ground to develop comedy projects.[481]
Obama with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House, April 5, 2022
On March 4, 2022, Obama won an Audio Publishers Association (APA) Award in the best narration by the author category for the narration of his memoir A Promised Land.[482] On April 5, Obama visited the White House for the first time since leaving office, in an event celebrating the 12th annual anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act.[483][484][485] In June, it was announced that the Obamas and their podcast production company, Higher Ground, signed a multi-year deal with Audible.[486][487] In September, Obama visited the White House to unveil his and Michelle's official White House portraits.[488] Around the same time, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator[489] for his narration in the Netflix documentary series Our Great National Parks.[490]
In 2022, Obama opposed expanding the Supreme Court beyond the present nine Justices.[491]
In March 2023, Obama traveled to Australia as a part of his speaking tour of the country. During the trip, Obama met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and visited Melbourne for the first time.[492] Obama was reportedly paid more than $1 million for two speeches.[493][494]
In October 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war, Obama declared that Israel must dismantle Hamas in the wake of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[495] Weeks later, Obama warned Israel that its actions could "harden Palestinian attitudes for generations" and weaken international support for Israel; any military strategy that ignored the war's human costs "could ultimately backfire."[496]
In July 2024, Obama expressed concerns about Biden's campaign viability after his critically maligned debate performance against former president Trump.[497] On July 21, Biden withdrew his candidacy and swiftly endorsed Vice President Harris right after to run as the Democratic nominee. Obama endorsed Harris alongside his wife Michelle five days later and delivered a critically acclaimed speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention formally endorsing her.[498] He joined Harris on the campaign trail in October, traveling to various swing states and emphasizing her record as a prosecutor, Senator, and Vice President and advocating for increased voter turnout, and his criticisms of Donald Trump and the Republican Party were widely reported by various media outlets.[499][500] After Trump was declared the winner of the election on November 6, Obama and Michelle congratulated him and Vice President-elect JD Vance while praising the Harris campaign and calling on liberal voters to continue supporting democracy and human rights.[501]
Legacy and recognition
Obama has been described as one of the most effective campaigners in American history (his 2008 campaign being particularly highlighted) as well as one of the most talented political orators of the 21st century.[502][503][504] Historian Julian Zelizer credits Obama with "a keen sense of how the institutions of government work and the ways that his team could design policy proposals." Zeitzer notes Obama's policy successes included the economic stimulus package which ended the Great Recession and the Dodd-Frank financial and consumer protection reforms, as well as the Affordable Care Act. Zeitzer also notes the Democratic Party lost power and numbers of elected officials during Obama's term, saying that the consensus among historians is that Obama "turned out to be a very effective policymaker but not a tremendously successful party builder." Zeitzer calls this the "defining paradox of Obama's presidency".[505]
The Brookings Institution noted that Obama passed "only one major legislative achievement (Obamacare)—and a fragile one at that—the legacy of Obama's presidency mainly rests on its tremendous symbolic importance and the fate of a patchwork of executive actions."[506] David W. Wise noted that Obama fell short "in areas many Progressives hold dear", including the continuation of drone strikes, not going after big banks during the Great Recession, and failing to strengthen his coalition before pushing for Obamacare. Wise called Obama's legacy that of "a disappointingly conventional president".[507]
Obama's most significant accomplishment is generally considered to be the Affordable Care Act (ACA), provisions of which went into effect from 2010 to 2020. Many attempts by Senate Republicans to repeal the ACA, including a "skinny repeal", have thus far failed.[508] However, in 2017, the penalty for violating the individual mandate was repealed effective 2019.[509] Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act amendment, it represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.[510][511][512][513]
Many commentators credit Obama with averting a threatened depression and pulling the economy back from the Great Recession.[508] According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Obama administration created 11.3million jobs from the month after his first inauguration to the end of his second term.[514] In 2010, Obama signed into effect the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Passed as a response to the financial crisis of 2007–2008, it brought the most significant changes to financial regulation in the United States since the regulatory reform that followed the Great Depression under Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[515]
In 2009, Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which contained in it the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the first addition to existing federal hate crime law in the United States since Democratic President Bill Clinton signed into law the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996. The act expanded existing federal hate crime laws in the United States, and made it a federal crime to assault people based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.[516]
As president, Obama advanced LGBT rights.[517] In 2010, he signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act, which brought an end to "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the U.S. armed forces that banned open service from LGBT people; the law went into effect the following year.[518] In 2016, his administration brought an end to the ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. armed forces.[519][239] A Gallup poll, taken in the final days of Obama's term, showed that 68 percent of Americans believed the U.S. had made progress on LGBT rights during Obama's eight years in office.[520]
Obama substantially escalated the use of drone strikes against suspected militants and terrorists associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban.[521] In 2016, the last year of his presidency, the U.S. dropped 26,171 bombs on seven different countries.[522][523] Obama left about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, 5,262 in Iraq, 503 in Syria, 133 in Pakistan, 106 in Somalia, seven in Yemen, and two in Libya at the end of his presidency.[524]
According to Pew Research Center and United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, from December 31, 2009, to December 31, 2015, inmates sentenced in U.S. federal custody declined by five percent. This is the largest decline in sentenced inmates in U.S. federal custody since Democratic President Jimmy Carter. By contrast, the federal prison population increased significantly under presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.[525]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called Obama's human rights record "mixed", adding that "he has often treated human rights as a secondary interest—nice to support when the cost was not too high, but nothing like a top priority he championed."[222]
Obama left office in January 2017 with a 60 percent approval rating.[526][527] He gained 10 spots from the same survey in 2015 from the Brookings Institution that ranked him the 18th-greatest American president.[528] In Gallup's 2018 job approval poll for the past 10 U.S. presidents, he received a 63 percent approval rating.[529]
The Barack Obama Presidential Center is Obama's planned presidential library. It will be hosted by the University of Chicago and located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago.[530]
——————— (1990). "Tort Law. Prenatal Injuries. Supreme Court of Illinois Refuses to Recognize Cause of Action Brought by Fetus Against Its Mother for Unintentional Infliction of Prenatal Injuries. Stallman v. Youngquist, 125 Ill. 2d 267, 531 N. E.2d 355 (1988)". Harvard Law Review. 103 (3): 823–828. doi:10.2307/1341352. JSTOR1341352. Uncredited case comment.[532]
David M. Axelrod is an American political consultant, analyst, and former White House official. He is best known for being the chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. After Obama's election, Axelrod was appointed as Senior Advisor to the President. He left the position in early 2011 and became the Senior Strategist for Obama's successful re-election campaign in 2012. Axelrod wrote for the Chicago Tribune, and joined CNN as Senior Political Commentator in 2015. Until recently, Axelrod served as the director of the non-partisan University of Chicago Institute of Politics. His memoir is titled Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) is a memoir by Barack Obama that explores the events of his early years in Honolulu and Chicago until his entry into Harvard Law School in 1988. Obama originally published his memoir in 1995, when he was starting his political campaign for the Illinois Senate.
The 2004 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald decided to retire after one term. The Democratic and Republican primary elections were held in March, which included a total of 15 candidates who combined to spend a record total of over $60 million seeking the open seat.
Stanley Ann Dunham was an American anthropologist who specialized in the economic anthropology and rural development of Indonesia. She was the mother of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.
Barack Hussein Obama Sr. was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. He is a central figure of his son's memoir, Dreams from My Father (1995). Obama married in 1954 and had two children with his first wife, Kezia. He was selected for a special program to attend college in the United States and studied at the University of Hawaii where he met Stanley Ann Dunham, whom he married in 1961 following the conception of his son, Barack. Obama and Dunham divorced three years later. Obama then went to Harvard University for graduate school, where he earned an M.A. in economics, and returned to Kenya in 1964. He saw his son Barack once more, when his son was about 10.
Stanley Armour Dunham was the maternal grandfather of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. He and his wife Madelyn Payne Dunham raised Obama from the age of 10 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. (1936–1982) and Stanley Ann Dunham, known as Ann (1942–1995).
The United States Senate career of Barack Obama began on January 3, 2005, and ended on November 16, 2008. A member of the Democratic Party from the state of Illinois, Obama previously served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005. He resigned his seat in the U.S. Senate upon being elected President of the United States.
The family of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, is a prominent American family active in law, education, activism and politics. Obama's immediate family circle was the first family of the United States from 2009 to 2017, and are the first such family of African-American descent. His immediate family includes his wife Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha.
Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for president of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, on August 23, leading up to the convention, the campaign announced that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware would be the vice presidential nominee. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, Barack Obama was formally selected as the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in 2008. He was the first African American in history to be nominated on a major party ticket. On November 4, 2008, Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, making him the president-elect and the first African American elected president.
Lolo Soetoro, also known as Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo or Mangundikardjo, was an Indonesian geographer who was the ex-stepfather of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.
Barack Obama, who served as the President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, has elicited a number of public perceptions regarding his personality and background. As the first African-American President of the United States, his race and culture played a prominent role, both positively and negatively.
During Barack Obama's campaign for president in 2008, throughout his presidency and afterwards, there was extensive news coverage of Obama's religious preference, birthplace, and of the individuals questioning his religious belief and citizenship – efforts eventually known as the "birther movement", or birtherism, names by which it is widely referred to across media. The movement falsely asserted Obama was ineligible to be President of the United States because he was not a natural-born citizen of the United States as required by Article Two of the Constitution. Studies have found these birther conspiracy theories to be most firmly held by Republicans strong in both political knowledge and racial resentment.
The 2000 United States House of Representatives election for the 1st district in Illinois took place on November 7, 2000, to elect a representative from Illinois's 1st congressional district for the 107th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic Representative Bobby Rush faced a primary challenge from Illinois Senator and future President Barack Obama. Rush defeated Obama 61 percent to 30 percent, with other candidates combining for the remaining nine percent. Rush later defeated his Republican opponent, Raymond Wardingley, 88 percent to 12 percent, ensuring his reelection. Subsequent to this election, Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004, and later elected President in 2008.
Barack Obama assumed office as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009, and his term ended on January 20, 2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
The Almanac of American Politics (2008) rated Barack Obama's overall social policies in 2006 as more conservative than 21% of the Senate, and more liberal than 77% of the Senate.
Allegations that Barack Obama secretly practices Islam, or that he is the antichrist of Christian eschatology, or covertly holds some other esoteric religious position, have been suggested since he campaigned for the U.S. Senate in 2004 and proliferated after his election as President of the United States in 2008. As with conspiracy theories surrounding his citizenship status, the claims are promoted by various political opponents, with American bloggers and conservative talk radio hosts particularly promoting the theories.
Barack Obama served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Before his presidency, he served in the Illinois Senate (1997–2004) and the United States Senate (2005–2008).
↑ Barreto, Amílcar Antonio; O'Bryant, Richard L. (November 12, 2013). "Introduction". American Identity in the Age of Obama. Taylor & Francis. pp.18–19. ISBN978-1-317-93715-9. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
↑ Maraniss (2012), p. 65Archived March 5, 2024, at the Wayback Machine: He had been born inside the euphorbia hedges of the K'obama homestead on June 18, 1934.
↑ Liberties (2012), p. 202Archived March 5, 2024, at the Wayback Machine: The age of his father is questionable since June 18, 1934, is on most of the documents Obama Sr. filled out for his United States student visa; however, Obama II's book Dreams of My Father states his father's birth date was June 18, 1936. Immigration and Naturalization Service records indicate the birth date to be June 18, 1934, thereby making Obama Sr. twenty-seven at the birth of Obama II instead of the annotated twenty-five on the birth certificate.
Merida, Kevin (December 14, 2007). "The ghost of a father". The Washington Post. p.A12. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
↑ Reyes, B.J. (February 8, 2007). "Punahou left lasting impression on Obama". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2007. As a teenager, Obama went to parties and sometimes sought out gatherings on military bases or at the University of Hawaii that were attended mostly by blacks.
for analysis of the political impact of the quote and Obama's more recent admission that he smoked marijuana as a teenager ("When I was a kid, I inhaled"), see:
Possley, Maurice (March 30, 2007). "Activism blossomed in college". Chicago Tribune. p.20. Archived from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
↑ Obama, Barack (1998). "Curriculum vitae". The University of Chicago Law School. Archived from the original on May 9, 2001. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
Secter, Bob; McCormick, John (March 30, 2007). "Portrait of a pragmatist". Chicago Tribune. p.1. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 140–295.
Mendell (2007), pp. 63–83.
1 2 3 Matchan, Linda (February 15, 1990). "A Law Review breakthrough". The Boston Globe. p.29. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
Corr, John (February 27, 1990). "From mean streets to hallowed halls"(paid archive). The Philadelphia Inquirer. p.C01. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
↑ Obama, Barack (August–September 1988). "Why organize? Problems and promise in the inner city". Illinois Issues. Vol.14, no.8–9. pp.40–42. ISSN0738-9663. reprinted in: Knoepfle, Peg, ed. (1990). After Alinsky: community organizing in Illinois. Springfield, IL: Sangamon State University. pp.35–40. ISBN978-0-9620873-3-2. He has also been a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, an organizing institute working throughout the Midwest.
↑ Obama, Auma (2012). And then life happens: a memoir. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp.189–208, 212–216. ISBN978-1-250-01005-6.
↑ Joey Del Ponte; Somerville Scout Staff. "Something in the Water". Somerville Scout. No.January/February 2014. p.26. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020. Barack Obama lived in the big, ivy-covered brick building at 365 Broadway... From 1988 to 1991, the future president resided in a basement apartment while attending Harvard Law School.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
1 2 Levenson, Michael; Saltzman, Jonathan (January 28, 2007). "At Harvard Law, a unifying voice". Boston Globe. p.1A. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
Mundy, Liza (August 12, 2007). "A series of fortunate events". The Washington Post. p.W10. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
Reynolds, Gretchen (January 1993). "Vote of confidence". Chicago Magazine. Vol.42, no.1. pp.53–54. ISSN0362-4595. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
↑ Obama (1995, 2004), p. 13. For reports on Obama's maternal genealogy, including slave owners, Irish connections, and common ancestors with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Harry S. Truman, see: Nitkin, David; Merritt, Harry (March 2, 2007). "A New Twist to an Intriguing Family History". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
↑ Obama (2006), pp. 327–332. See also: Brown, Sarah (December 7, 2005). "Obama '85 masters balancing act". The Daily Princetonian. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
↑ Branigin, William (January 30, 2009). "Steelers Win Obama's Approval". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017. But other than the Bears, the Steelers are probably the team that's closest to my heart.
↑ Kantor, Jodi (June 1, 2007). "One Place Where Obama Goes Elbow to Elbow". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2008. See also: "The Love of the Game"(video). Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. HBO. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Kirkpatrick, David D.; Shane, Scott (January 22, 2009). "On First Day, Obama Quickly Sets a New Tone". The New York Times. p.1. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
↑ "American President: Barack Obama". Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. 2009. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009. Religion: Christian
Miller, Lisa (July 18, 2008). "Finding his faith". Newsweek. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2010. He is now a Christian, having been baptized in the early 1990s at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
Sullivan, Amy (June 29, 2009). "The Obama's find a church home—away from home". Time. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010. instead of joining a congregation in Washington, D.C., he will follow in George W. Bush's footsteps and make his primary place of worship Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David.
Kornblut, Anne E. (February 4, 2010). "Obama's spirituality is largely private, but it's influential, advisers say". The Washington Post. p.A6. Retrieved February 5, 2010. Obama prays privately... And when he takes his family to Camp David on the weekends, a Navy chaplain ministers to them, with the daughters attending a form of Sunday school there.
↑ Obama (2006), pp. 202–208. Portions excerpted in: Obama, Barack (October 16, 2006). "My Spiritual Journey". Time. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
↑ Pulliam, Sarah; Olsen, Ted (January 23, 2008). "Q&A: Barack Obama". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
↑ Garrett, Major; Obama, Barack (March 14, 2008). "Obama talks to Major Garrett on 'Hannity & Colmes'". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved November 10, 2012. Major Garrett, Fox News correspondent: So the first question, how long have you been a member in good standing of that church? Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), presidential candidate: You know, I've been a member since 1991 or '92. And—but I have known Trinity even before then when I was a community organizer on the South Side, helping steel workers find jobs... Garrett: As a member in good standing, were you a regular attendee of Sunday services? Obama: You know, I won't say that I was a perfect attendee. I was regular in spurts, because there was times when, for example, our child had just been born, our first child. And so we didn't go as regularly then.
"Obama strongly denounces former pastor". NBC News. Associated Press. April 29, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2012. I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992, and have known Reverend Wright for 20 years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person [whom] I met 20 years ago.
Miller, Lisa (July 11, 2008). "Finding his faith". Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2012. He is now a Christian, having been baptized in the early 1990s at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
Remnick, David (2010). The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p.177. ISBN978-1-4000-4360-6. In late October 1987, his third year as an organizer, Obama went with Kellman to a conference on the black church and social justice at the Harvard Divinity School.
Maraniss (2012), p. 557: It would take time for Obama to join and become fully engaged in Wright's church, a place where he would be baptized and married; that would not happen until later, during his second time around in Chicago, but the process started then, in October 1987... Jerry Kellman: "He wasn't a member of the church during those first three years, but he was drawn to Jeremiah."
"Document". Chicago Tribune. June 27, 1993. p.9 (Business). Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2008.(subscription required)
"Business appointments". Chicago-Sun-Times. July 5, 1993. p.40. Retrieved June 15, 2008.(subscription required)
Ripley, Amanda (November 3, 2004). "Obama's ascent". Time. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
"About us". Miner, Barnhill & Galland—Chicago, Illinois. 2008. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
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Wolffe, Richard; Briscoe, Daren (July 16, 2007). "Across the Divide". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
↑ Strausberg, Chinta (September 26, 2002). "Opposition to war mounts". Chicago Defender. p.1. Archived from the original(paid archive) on May 11, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
Strausberg, Chinta (October 3, 2002). "War with Iraq undermines U.N". Chicago Defender. p.1. Archived from the original on October 14, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2008. Photo caption: Left Photo: Sen. Barack Obama along with Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to nearly 3,000 anti-war protestors (below) during a rally at Federal Plaza Wednesday.
McCormick, John (October 3, 2007). "Obama marks '02 war speech; Contender highlights his early opposition in an effort to distinguish him from his rivals". Chicago Tribune. p.7. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008. The top strategist for Sen. Barack Obama has just 14 seconds of video of what is one of the most pivotal moments of the presidential candidate's political career. The video, obtained from a Chicago TV station, is of Obama's 2002 speech in opposition to the impending Iraq invasion.(subscription required)
Chase, John; Mendell, David (November 3, 2004). "Obama scores a record landslide"(PDF). Chicago Tribune. p.1. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 13, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
↑ "Committee Assignments". Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office. December 9, 2006. Archived from the original on December 9, 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
Falcone, Michael (December 21, 2007). "Obama's 'One Thing'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
Baker, Peter; Rutenberg, Jim (June 8, 2008). "The Long Road to a Clinton Exit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
Stein, Rob; Shear, Michael (January 24, 2009). "Funding restored to groups that perform abortions, other care". The Washington Post. p.A3. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012. Lifting the Mexico City Policy would not permit U.S. tax dollars to be used for abortions, but it would allow funding to resume to groups that provide other services, including counseling about abortions.
↑ Block, Robert; Matthews, Mark K. (January 27, 2010). "White House won't fund NASA moon program". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2011. President Obama's budget proposal includes no money for the Ares I and Ares V rocket or Constellation program. Instead, NASA would be asked to monitor climate change and develop a new rocket
↑ Dyson, Michael Eric (2016). The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p.275. ISBN978-0-544-38766-9.
↑ Mian, Atif R.; Sufi, Amir (September 1, 2010). "The Effects of Fiscal Stimulus: Evidence from the 2009 'Cash for Clunkers' Program". The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 127 (3): 1107–1142. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1670759. S2CID219352572. SSRN1670759.
↑ Theodossiou, Eleni; Hipple, Steven F. (2011). "Unemployment Remains High in 2010"(PDF). Monthly Labor Review. 134 (3): 3–22. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 8, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
↑ Herszenhorn, David M.; Calmes, Jackie (December 7, 2009). "Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 31, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
↑ Baker, Peter; Cooper, Helene; Mazzetti, Mark (May 2, 2011). "Bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
↑ Holmes, Stephanie (November 30, 2008). "Obama: Oratory and originality". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
Zlomislic, Diana (December 11, 2008). "New emotion dubbed 'elevation'". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
↑ Zelizer, Julian E. (2018). "Policy Revolution without a Political Transformation". In Zelizer, Julian (ed.). The Presidency of Barack Obama: a First Historical Assessment. Princeton University Press. pp.1–10. ISBN978-0-691-16028-3.
↑ Eibner, Christine; Nowak, Sarah (2018). The Effect of Eliminating the Individual Mandate Penalty and the Role of Behavioral Factors. Commonwealth Fund (Report). doi:10.26099/SWQZ-5G92.
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