What did Obama and Clinton do when they retire? Uncover the "post-White House life" of the two
[Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Haoran] Since the start of the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic former president, who has been dissatisfied with the Trump administration for a long time, has "fired all his strength" and reached a high point at the Democratic National Convention on the 17th. Although the Obamas and Clintons have left the White House for a long time, the influence of their speeches is still there, which makes people wonder about their "post-White House life."
Data map: Former US President Barack Obama.
Obama: never really left
After leaving office, the Obama family bought a house in Washington, the capital, and became the first former leader to "stay" in Washington since President Wilson. However, this arrangement initially mainly took into account the convenience of daughters in school. According to the American "People" magazine, Obama's "retirement" life is generally comfortable: he is committed to the management of a personal foundation and realized his dream of becoming a "filmmaker"-with the assistance of the well-known streaming media company "Netflix" Established his own "Highland Production Company". Not only that, but his paid speech quotations have repeatedly reached new highs. For example, in a business forum event in Colombia in 2019, his "appearance fee" was said to be as high as $600,000. In his spare time, he also goes to play golf to relax.
However, in the face of Trump's frequent attacks and obliteration of his political legacy, Obama has never really faded out of American politics. According to reports, at the last press conference during his tenure, he stated that he had no intention of “actively participating in government affairs” after leaving office, unless the country has the following three situations: “systematic discrimination”, “democratic voting is obstructed” and “news media and dissent The voice of the audience was disturbed"-this seemed to pave the way for his subsequent counterattack.
With the two major chaos of the new crown epidemic and the black rights movement in the United States in 2020, Obama has gradually stepped onto the stage from behind the scenes, and his criticism of Trump has become more unconcealed. The US "New York Times" stated that even though Biden didn't want Obama's light in the early stage of his candidacy, the latter almost spared no effort to support him. In April of this year, Obama did not hesitate to turn his guns to the entire Republican Party, saying that those occupying the White House and Senate "focus more on power than on national progress." In addition to solidarity and endorsements, Obama often personally participates in "guidance," such as providing Biden with advice on personnel and information transmission. On one occasion, he even pointed out Biden's "shortcomings" bluntly, suggesting that he "simplify the length of speeches and tweets", "speak more simply in interviews" and so on. He also invited the "heads" of Internet giants such as LinkedIn and Google to advise on Biden's online campaign. Such a weighty "consultant" personally left the scene, making many of the Biden team members "stressful".
Michelle: "The Old Man in the Empty Nest" is much happy
Earlier this year, after being interviewed by talk show queen Oprah, the former "First Lady" of the United States, Michelle, was nicknamed the "Empty Nester" by the media-her daughters Maria and Sasha had "leaved the nest" "Go to college. The old mother was once deeply uncomfortable with this. She said that she and her husband often "shed tears" about it.
But after adapting to the "empty nest" life, Michelle quickly discovered the joy of a new life: in addition to running a production company with her husband, she also became an "net celebrity"-on Instagram and streaming music respectively Open programs on the platform Spotify to share your own growth and life experiences. She also "showed her affection" and said that with her return to the two-person world, the current intimacy between the two was something she could not experience when she was busy before.
After removing the identity of the "first lady", Michelle used his own methods to point out current abuses and became more and more grounded. The US Vox website believes that this sense of "connection" with ordinary people is precisely Michelle following her husband. After leaving the White House, the "superpowers" that can increase influence without diminishing. Nowadays, Michelle no longer tries to be a perfect first lady. Instead, she shows herself as a "no pollution" or even a "fragile" image: she talked about the miscarriage and also revealed that she was "mildly" on the podcast at the beginning of the month. Depression". She attributed the cause of the illness to isolation during the epidemic, racial conflict that could not bear to look directly at it, and the "hypocrisy" of the Trump administration. She sarcastically said, "I feel frustrated when I see the performance of this government." This podcast has received widespread resonance in American society. Research has shown that Michelle’s symptoms are reflected in 1/3 of Americans. As the “most admired woman by Americans” in Gallup polls for two consecutive years, Michelle’s speech at the Democratic convention also received much attention. She encouraged everyone to vote for Biden and Harris, and even accidentally caused fire. The "voting" necklace worn during a speech.
After Michelle left the White House, it was a fame and fortune. According to the US Business Insider website, the Obamas’ net assets in 2019 are expected to be between 40 million and 135 million US dollars, a considerable part of which comes from book sales: Michelle’s autobiography "Become" topped the 2018 bestseller list , Because the book is so famous, the business even launched more than 20 kinds of peripheral products, in May this year also launched a documentary of the same name. In addition, Michelle is also engaged in paid speeches. Although the appearance fee is not as good as that of her husband, the single asking price is more than 200,000 US dollars. Some financial experts estimate that the Obamas' "post-presidential era" can generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Data map: Former US President Clinton. Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
The Clintons: The money that can be made is "lost"
The former Presidents Clinton and his wife have already "freed themselves" after resigning from public office, earning a lot of money in various paid activities. The US "Forbes" magazine previously estimated that in the 15 years after leaving the White House, the couple had earned at least $240 million in assets and owned real estate in many parts of the United States.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Clinton had "humbly" stated that attending business speeches was the "main source of income" for his family. But what is slightly embarrassing is that Clinton has already faced the dilemma of "cutting off money" two years ago. It turns out that most organizations that can afford him have already invited him, and those with limited financial resources are "daunted"; Hillary's speech remuneration has also shrunk sharply, with a single offer once as low as $25,000. As a result, the couple became enthusiastic about "speaking tours" again, earning income by selling tickets, and turned the previous commercial performance from "retail" into "wholesale". Some media believe that the Clintons are not only to "trap money", but also to maintain a certain "sense of existence."
Compared with her husband, Hillary's life is more colorful. After publishing her campaign memoir "What Happened" in 2017, she co-authored "The Book of Brave Women" with her daughter Chelsea. Because of her passion for opera performances, the media found that she frequently appeared in Broadway theaters after losing the election. At the same time, Clinton also maintained political activity, personally founded the new left-wing political organization "Go Forward Together", and through the organization in the 2018 midterm elections to donate to 19 Democratic House of Representatives candidates. On social media, she is now one of the "opinion leaders" in the United States.
However, compared to the Obamas, whose images are more positive, the Clintons, who have been involved in scandals, have been shrouded in the shadow of the past from time to time. Hillary Clinton’s 2016 involvement in the “mail door” is still here today. Not long ago, a federal judge urged her to appear in court. As for Clinton, in the context of the global anti-sexual harassment movement, he not only has to come out from time to time to make changes to the “zip door”. In response, even when the Democratic Party gave a speech, the media broke the old photos of receiving the shoulder massage of the Epstein case victim in 2002.