After leaving the White House in 2016, President Obama’s future in Washington could depend largely on what his youngest daughter has to say.
During an interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters on Friday, Michelle and Barack Obama said that Sasha, now 12 years old, will “have a big vote” on whether they stick around after the Obama presidency ends.
{mosads}She will be a sophomore in high school in 2016 and her older sister, Malia, will be college-aged. The daughters attend the private Sidwell Friends School, where Chelsea Clinton was educated during the Clinton White House years.
The president said his family has “made a lot of sacrifices on behalf of my cockamamie ideas, the running for office and things,” but won’t say for sure about a decision to leave.
If the Obamas made a residence in Washington after holding presidential office, they would be the first to do so since President Woodrow Wilson, according to ABC News.
Asked about whether the president would continue in politics, Michelle interjected quickly.
“No,” she said, laughing with Barack. “That’s a no.”
“Well, I think it’s fair to say I’ve run my last campaign,” he added, saying he would stay passionate about political issues, but not run for elected office again.
Since the botched roll out of the ObamaCare website last month, the president’s approval rating is among the lowest of his two terms. According to Gallup surveys, only 41 percent of Americans approve of Obama’s job performance.
“I’ve gone up and down pretty much consistently throughout,” he said of his approval ratings. “But the good thing about when you’re down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up.”