False Facts About Barack And Michelle Obama Everyone Believes
We're debunking some of the outlandish rumors that Michelle and Barack Obama have faced over the years.
Back in 2008, the United States of America was forever changed when the Obamas made their groundbreaking entry into the White House. "My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors," Barack said in his first inaugural speech. In the eight years following that fateful day, Barack and Michelle swiftly became staples in the political and pop culture sphere due to their respective duties as President of the United States and first lady.
"When you like people having a job where you get to interact with folks on a day-to-day basis, and you get to do things that make a difference... it's not a bad gig," Michelle explained to Larry King in 2010. While the pair became political darlings among the general public, they have also been targeted with nonsensical rumors and conspiracies, which some conservative individuals still think are true to this day. From faking religions and birth certificates, to having insider knowledge about the end of the world, Michelle and Barack Obama have supposedly done it all.
Barack Obama lied about his religion
Before Barack Obama landed his job as president of the United States, he had already been the subject of outlandish rumors, including the idea that he lied about his religion. In 2007, an email chain accused Obama of being Muslim as a way to smear him and further incite prejudice toward the Muslim community. "Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background," one email claimed, per Politico. Another email shockingly accused Obama of being a terrorist with plans of destroying the U.S. from the inside. Of course, it didn't take long for the 44th president to shut down the baseless rumors, which occurred during a January 2008 rally in South Carolina.
"I've been to the same church, the same Christian church, for almost 20 years. I was sworn in with my hand on the family Bible," he told the crowd, per NBC News. "So if you get some silly email... send it back to whoever sent it and tell them this is all crazy. Educate."
While Obama is not Muslim, he did showcase support and allyship for the community throughout his time as president. "Muslim communities stand up for the future that you believe in, that you exhibit in your daily lives, as you teach our children, America will be your partner," he said during a 2016 speech at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, per The White House.
Michelle Obama is unpatriotic
As the former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama uses her platform to support America and fight for change. However, before she landed the aforementioned role, conservative critics accused the "Becoming" author of being unpatriotic. The outlandish claims first made waves in February 2008, after her speech at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Hope is making a comeback and, let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life I am really proud of my country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but I think people are hungry for change," she explained, per The Telegraph. Shortly after Michelle's speech, conservative individuals and political figures claimed the former was unpatriotic, despite the Obama campaign debunking the rumors. Even Cindy McCain, the wife of former presidential candidate John McCain, took a dig at the "The Light We Carry" author during a rally for her husband, per the Los Angeles Times.
While some conservative individuals may still believe that Michelle isn't patriotic, the former first lady has proven time and time again that it's not true. "I'm a girl who grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Chicago... let me tell you, of course, I'm proud," she told Barbra Walters in June 2008. Michelle echoed similar sentiments during her final White House speech in January 2017. "Being your first lady has been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I've made you proud," she told the crowd, per CNN.
Barack Obama is secretly running the White House
While Barack Obama left office since 2017, some conservative critics have theorized that he still controls the White House. Back in 2021, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo alluded to the idea of Obama secretly leading the Biden administration. "I know he's on the phone all the time with Obama, and I'm hearing that he's running things from behind the scenes," she claimed, per the Independent. The outlandish theory was brought back into the spotlight again when Donald Trump accused Obama of being President Biden's boss, per Vanity Fair. "You've been ripped off by everybody and betrayed by the corrupt globalists, Washington, Wall Street people, those combinations of Washington, Wall Street, they're the worst of all," the controversial figure claimed during an October rally. "And it's never been worse than it is now under crooked Joe Biden, and frankly, his boss, Barack Hussein Obama. I think it's his boss."
Even though Obama isn't running the White House with omnipotent puppet strings, he has offered his assistance and guidance to Biden and his administration in the past. In November 2023, the former president assisted his longtime political partner in drafting an artificial intelligence policy, per ABC News. According to an aide from Obama's team, the former U.S. senator met with leaders in the AI world to start an open dialogue regarding security risks and the possibility of bias and discrimination. Obama and Biden also teamed up in December 2023 to promote the Affordable Care Act, per CNN.
The Obamas are sending a message with Netflix's Leave the World Behind
In December 2023, Michelle and Barack Obama made headlines again when "Leave the World Behind" premiered on Netflix. Based on Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel, the apocalyptic thriller follows the Stanford family, as they rent a house on Long Island for a last-minute vacation. However, things take an unexpected turn when the house owner, George H. Scott, and his daughter, Ruth, appear with terrifying news about the state of the world. While "Leave the World Behind" earned favorable reviews from critics, it also garnered attention for Michelle and Barack's involvement as executive producers. Some viewers on social media even theorized that the duo was sending a message about the world's future.
One person on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, "The fact that Leave the World Behind was produced by the Obamas is very scary bc it seems like they are directly trying to send us a message." Another viewer claimed, "I hope y'all are paying attention. They're telling us some deep truths."
However, in an interview with Collider, the film's director, Sam Esmail, debunked the rumors that Barack and Michelle had a considerable hand in the film's messaging. "I think the silly thing about the whole thing is President Obama really came on a couple of months before we started shooting, so the script had basically been written and done," he explained. "He obviously gave notes... I would just say they're pretty wrong in terms of his signaling."
Michelle Obama is running for president
Michelle Obama's potential run for president of the United States has also dominated the public conscience. Since 2018, the rumors have run rampant in both conservative and liberal political circles. In September 2023, former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin theorized that Obama would be putting up her name for the 2024 elections. "Don't be surprised. But I still say it'll be Michelle [Obama] #2024Election. Biden's out," she wrote on X. Fellow Republican Ted Cruz echoed similar sentiments in November 2023. "I said on my podcast three months ago, Verdict with Ted Cruz, I predicted there was a very real chance that the democrats would jettison Joe Biden and parachute in Michelle Obama and that they'd do it at the convention next summer," he revealed on an episode of Fox and Friends, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite rumors of a potential presidential run, the "Becoming" author has gone on-record numerous times debunking the rumors. In her 2023 Netflix special "The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey," Obama revealed that she would never run for president. "I've never expressed any interest in politics. Ever. I mean, I agreed to support my husband. He wanted to do it, and he was great at it," she explained, per Rolling Stone. "But at no point have I ever said, 'I think I want to run.' Ever... Politics is hard. And the people who get into it.. you've got to want it."