10 Rumors About Sasha Obama

Growing up as the child of a celebrity or a celebrity couple can be extremely difficult. Comparisons to famous parents come in an unending stream, whether that's from the media or the public at large, and they can be incredibly unfair. What's more, any perceived misstep can fall under the proverbial microscope on a national or worldwide scale, making life's inevitable transitions (or transgressions) particularly perilous. One can only wonder what it was like for Michael Jordan's sons to pursue their own hoop dreams or for Blue Ivy to take to the stage for the first time. However, Sasha and Malia Obama may just take the cake.

Not only were their parents known on every continent, but their father, former President Barack Obama, held the most powerful political office in the entire world for eight years and was the first Black person to do so. The post-White House transformation of the Obama family remains fascinating to the general public. As such, the sisters have been scrutinized to a degree that would be difficult for the average person to understand. Meanwhile, for every harsh comment that emerges about things that they've actually done, there are rumors, innuendos, and false news reports that are taken as fact by less discerning audiences. With that in mind, here are 12 rumors about Sasha, the Obamas' younger daughter, that have made waves in the press and on social media.

Speculation about public figures' love lives — who they're dating, who they're not, breakups, makeups, baby mamas, and all — dominates celebrity coverage and is ever-present on social media and in the mainstream press alike. For her part, Sasha Obama has been unable to avoid the circus, but one of the stories making the rounds is particularly spicy.

Despite their five-year age gap, contrasting styles, and the fact that their fathers are political polar opposites, rumors abound that Obama is dating, slated to wed, or already married to Barron Trump, the fifth and youngest child of Republican President Donald Trump, whose leaked late-night call paints a strange picture of his life.

The rumors reached critical mass in July 2025 when videos falsely claiming that Barron Trump had announced his betrothal to the former president's daughter proliferated social platforms, including YouTube and TikTok. One TikTok video included AI-generated images and stated that the younger Trump had "just announced that Sasha Obama will be his one and only wife," and added, "Donald Trump was so furious that he was rushed to a private hospital, but [Barron] refuses to give up." The video proceeded to break down the reasons Trump and Obama are supposedly together. In truth, she was reportedly dating Clifton Powell Jr. — the son of "Ray" star Clifton Powell, who had a lot to say about Sasha Obama's famous family — at the time.

Whether partnered up with Barron Trump, Clifton Powell Jr., or some other person who has yet to pop on the radar of the celebrity gossip intelligentsia, Sasha Obama's romantic milestones will likely continue to make waves online and in the press due to her familial connection to a popular former president and the general mystery surrounding her comings and goings. However, as with any person who's covered so broadly, not all of those reports are based in reality. One recurring rumor about Obama's life is that she's pregnant and soon to welcome her first child — and Barack and Michelle Obama's first grandchild — into the world.

A 2023 TikTok video claimed that Sasha Obama was captured showing off a baby bump while attending a party hosted by hip-hop icon Drake. The video claimed that Clifton Powell Jr. was believed to be the father and that former President Obama was "so depressed" by the news that he had "sought solace in drinking heavily."

More recently, a November 2025 video on YouTube falsely reported that Obama had posted a picture of baby booties to her Instagram, along with the caption, "It's a new beginning for me." The video did not name an alleged father but noted she was set to give birth to a girl and referenced fictional social media updates and interviews. Despite the preponderance of these and similar videos and social posts, no pregnancy announcement has been made.

The severity and sheer zaniness of the false rumors surrounding Sasha Obama run an impressive gamut. She may not yet have reached the mythical tier inhabited by the likes of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, or her father, former President Barack Obama, but she's definitely punching well above her own weight class where wild rumors are concerned. Case in point: While two of the aforementioned celebs are believed by some to have faked their own deaths, stories have contrastingly circulated about Sasha Obama claiming that she had lost her life after being tragically murdered in a drive-by shooting.

In July 2017, a false story from the now-defunct website News Bible Report stated that a then-16-year-old Obama was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting near her school. The outlet then went on to claim that the attackers, who supposedly shot the youngest Obama while she was waiting for her security detail, were later caught by police, and that Obama was transported in an ambulance but did not survive. As noted by Snopes, Obama was actually on hand to celebrate her father's birthday at Martha's Vineyard, and to attend the Chicago musical festival Lollapalooza in the wake of her supposed death.

Sasha Obama and her older sister, Malia, practically grew up before the collective eyes of a nation. When their father, Barack Obama, was first elected president in November 2008, Malia was only 10 years old, while Sasha was just 7. Despite the fact that the sisters' journey through life has been documented just about every step of the way, there are some who question the details thereof, including their connection to their famous parents. One recurring rumor (conspiracy theory might be the better term) posits that the Obama girls aren't actually Obamas at all. Instead, some claim that they were given to Barack and Michelle Obama by their "real" parents in service of some nefarious scheme or other.

A post that made the rounds on Facebook claimed that Malia and Sasha's biological parents are actually Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt. There was an added layer of conspiracy theory thrown into the mix, too, as the post referred to Barack and Michelle as a gay couple and made disturbing claims about their activities. Similar posts have appeared on various social platforms, some containing deceptive AI imagery.

Despite the outlandish nature of these stories, they've gained traction in some surprising places. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, former Kentucky House of Representatives member Tim Couch — not to be confused with the former NFL quarterback of the same name — joined the crowd of people republishing similar fake news stories in 2016.

While her parents have set an exceedingly high bar where living up to the family legacy is concerned, Sasha Obama is following the example set by her sister, Malia, in attempting to chart her own course. While Malia graduated from Harvard University in 2021 and began working in show business under the name Malia Ann — most notably as a writer on the 2023 Amazon Prime miniseries "Swarm" — Sasha decided to pursue her continued education at the University of Michigan before transferring to the University of Southern California (USC) in 2022. She graduated from USC with a degree in sociology the following year.

Despite her graduation, fake stories claiming that the youngest Obama was kicked out of school have circulated online. One satirical post on Facebook, for example, stated that she was expelled from three colleges over the years, with offenses ranging from cheating to excessive partying. Despite being a parody post, the comments were littered with people who responded as if the story were true.

Stories of Obama being kicked out of school have abounded since her high school days. In 2018, Conservative Columns republished a satirical story claiming that Obama was suspended then later expelled amid an alleged outburst in which she told her principal, "You wouldn't have me in here if I was white," during a disciplinary meeting, adding, "I'm getting sick of you crackers." Despite having no basis in reality, similar stories can be found all over social media.

In December 2024, a rumor that Sasha Obama had been ejected from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, spread across the internet. According to Snopes, the source of the rumor was a YouTube video titled, "Airport Staff Kicked Out Sasha Obama, But Regretted Everything When Her Father Barack Obama Arrived," which was posted that same month. The nearly hour-long video presents a veritable play-by-play recounting of a mythical clash between Obama, her father — former President Barack Obama — and airport staffers that sees her become the victim of racism on an incredible scale. 

According to the video, Sasha was set to fly out of the airport to New York City, where she would "present her research at a prestigious youth conference." However, airline workers became suspicious of her, questioning the authenticity of her business-class ticket, seemingly because she's a Black woman. The situation is purported to have escalated to the point that TSA agents were involved, after which Obama was subjected to multiple screenings, and airport staff threatened to eject her. The video claims that the situation was finally resolved when Barack Obama appeared and confronted those involved. In truth, no such incident has ever been reported by the former president or his daughter.

While it's hard to top her supposed untimely death, it's hardly the only rumor of tragedy befalling the former U.S. president's daughter that has popped up on the celebrity blogosphere. Another wild rumor stated that Obama was gifted an expensive new luxury car by her parents, only to crash the vehicle into a lake shortly thereafter.

As the story — which was published on the now-defunct website Defense USA in December 2017 — goes, Barack Obama bought his daughter a used Bugatti Veyron for Christmas for a cool $1.1 million. The youngest Obama was said to have been so pleased with the gift that she immediately took it out for a spin, only to crash the Bugatti into Lake Hope, near Washington, D.C.

It was further noted that there was "a strong smell of marijuana" in the vehicle and that three minor passengers were also involved in the accident, one of whom was treated for crash-related injuries. Reporting was attributed to the Washington Times-Herald, but a hyperlink in the story only directed readers to the outlet's homepage, and it's based in Washington, Indiana, not the District of Columbia. What's more, there's a Lake Hope located in Ohio, but no such body of water exists in the vicinity of the U.S. capital. Of course, none of this prevented the fake news from spreading on social media.

In July 2016, when Democratic presidential hopeful and former first lady Hillary Clinton was engaged in an electoral battle with eventual commander-in-chief Donald Trump, outgoing President Barack Obama made an offhand remark at a Clinton campaign rally that served as a rallying cry from amateur sleuths online. While addressing Trump's penchant for firing off controversial tweets — in the days before he used Truth Social to rudely trash his detractors — and his qualifications for the highest office in the U.S. government, Obama said (via Time), "Everybody can tweet, but nobody actually knows what it takes to do the job until you've sat behind the desk. I mean — Sasha tweets, but she doesn't think that she thereby should be sitting down at the desk." 

Although Sasha Obama's internet activity wasn't the point, the comment raised eyebrows as neither of the Obama daughters had an official account at the time. Consequently, the hunt for the youngest Obama's rumored account on Twitter, now known as X, was launched almost immediately. It was a strange development and arguably an invasion of privacy for a girl who was just 15 years old at the time. One can only imagine how dealing with such bizarre and incredibly public situations contributed to Sasha Obama's incredible transformation over the years.

Right or wrong though it may be, the notion that the rich and powerful are able to use their influence and resources to circumvent the law and dodge the negative consequences of their actions is one that predates the internet and social media. However, modern technology has done little to quell the sentiment, and rumors that Sasha Obama has been able to escape some comeuppance or other due to her familial connection to the former U.S. president and first lady or other factors are commonplace online.

One such rumor, versions of which have been told about both Obama sisters, is that she was once arrested amid her alleged involvement in a million-dollar shoplifting ring. In July 2019, a satirical website then known as Obama Watcher published an article claiming that Sasha Obama had been arrested in connection with the aforementioned criminal activity. Moreover, she was purported to have gotten out of the charge through "privilege" and "reverse racism," while the record of her arrest was wiped away. "Obama was reportedly included in the [initial] arrest but has since been removed from the record completely. No media has reported it and the Skokie police have no record that she's even been to Rosemont," the story read. A fake mugshot even circulated alongside the story.

From rumored affairs to secret marriages and headline-making breakups, the tabloid crowd loves to get in on the romantic dirt that blows up online. And like any celebrity couple, former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, have contended with rampant divorce rumors with shocking regularity over the years. What's less explored in these rumors is the impact on the rest of the family unit; how the children of the supposed broken marriage feel about their parents allegedly deciding to go their separate ways. One such rumor placed Sasha Obama's emotional state at the epicenter of her famous parents' potential split, and the reporting went beyond the scope of poorly conceived Facebook posts.

In early 2025, the Daily Mail shared a photo of Sasha Obama strolling in the Los Angeles area with a concerned or tense look on her face and her arms holding a stack of books against her body. The outlet linked the downcast vibes to rumors about the state of the Obamas' marriage, and an onlooker reportedly told Daily Mail, "Sasha isn't known for being especially smiley and upbeat. But on this occasion, she looked truly miserable." Social media posts on platforms like X and YouTube appeared soon afterward, with some respondents taking the opportunity to repeat other rumors and conspiracy theories about the family. Regardless of what's really going on in Sasha Obama's head in the photo, a lot of wild assumptions were made about the situation.