Times have changed a lot since Obama exited the White House in January of 2017, and while he may have left his career in politics behind, the 44th President of the United States is keeping busy. Here's what he's been up to:

The 2020 Election

The Democratic ballot for the 2020 presidential election is looking rather crowded these days, with close to two dozen candidates throwing their hats in the ring. As the most recent Democratic president, Obama's opinion has naturally been sought after, but so far the former president has stayed relatively quiet. This may, in part, be due to his former vice president, Joe Biden, who is one of the apparent front-runners in the race.

"I asked President Obama not to endorse," Biden said following news of his candidacy was announced. "Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits."

However, the former president did have some kind words for Biden in general, releasing a statement following Biden's official declaration of entering the 2020 race.

“President Obama has long said that selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made," Obama said through a spokesperson. "He relied on the Vice President’s knowledge, insight, and judgment throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today."

It is widely expected that once the primaries are over and a candidate has been chosen for the general election, Obama will become more directly involved in the race.

Speaking On Politics

After many months out of the political spotlight, Barack Obama made a series of high-profile speeches in late 2018. His first was a eulogy delivered at John McCain's funeral in Washington D.C. The former president had been handpicked by Senator McCain to speak at the funeral—along with the 42nd president, George W. Bush—and used it as an opportunity to speak out against the rancor of the current political environment.

Though Donald Trump was never mentioned by name, his presence was certainly felt. John McCain, said Obama, "did understand that some principles transcend politics. Some values transcend party. He considered it part of his duty to uphold those principles and uphold those values."

Barack Obama delivers a eulogy at John McCain’s funeral in the National Cathedral. Mark Wilson Getty Images

Obama's words were much more pointed a week later, when he delivered a far more blistering indictment of the current president before an audience of students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “We’re supposed to stand up to discrimination,” Obama said. “And we’re sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers. How hard can that be, saying that Nazis are bad?”

It was not the first time that Obama had criticized the sitting president. In September of 2017, Obama broke his silence about President Trump's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy with a post on social media.

"To target these young people is wrong—because they have done nothing wrong,” Obama wrote on Facebook on September 5, 2017. “It is self-defeating—because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel.”

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Obama Heads to Netflix

Barack and Michelle Obama have been developing a much broader portfolio of projects since leaving the White House. In 2018, they inked a deal with Netflix to produce a set of films and series for the streaming service under their new production company, Higher Ground Productions.

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President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have entered into a multi-year agreement to produce films and series for Netflix, potentially including scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries, and features. — Netflix (@netflix) May 21, 2018

“Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all,” Obama said in a statement.

In May 2019, almost a year after the initial deal, the company announced that they would be producing seven programs, including a film adaptation of David W. Blights's the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography about the famed abolitionist, a drama series set in post-WWII New York, and a children's education program about food.

His Private Life

On May 7, 2017 Obama received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, a prize given to elected officials "who govern for the greater good, even when it is not in their own interest to do so." Specifically, he was honored for his passing of the Affordable Care Act, which secured health coverage for millions of Americans.

Obama receives the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Getty Images

In August of that year, he was spotted on Harvard University's campus with Michelle, moving their oldest child, Malia, into her dorm room. He later revealed that he got emotional when dropping her off.

“For those of us who have daughters, it just happens fast,” Obama said. “I was proud that I did not cry in front of her but on the way back, the Secret Service was looking straight ahead pretending they weren’t hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough.”

In the first episode of David Letterman's Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, he expanded on the story, telling the host he was almost no help at all moving Malia into her dorm room.



"I was basically useless," Obama said. "Everyone had seen me crying and misting up for basically the previous three weeks, so Malia, who's very thoughtful, she goes, 'Dad, you know, I've got this lamp in this box, could you put the desk lamp together?' I said, 'Sure.' It should have taken five minutes or three minutes, and it had one of those little tools. It only had, like, four parts, and I'm just sitting there, toiling at this thing for half an hour."

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He also returned to some of the less touching moments of life as a regular citizen, like jury duty. In November of 2017, the former president returned to Chicago to do his civic duty.

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Cook County is apparently the same place where Oprah Winfrey and Mr. T do their public duty, so world famous jurors are par for the course, but Obama is the highest-ranking former public official to be called for jury duty in Chicago history. Like other former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, President Obama was not actually selected for a jury.

In June of 2019, Barack and Michelle watched their youngest daughter, who just turned 18 on the previous week, take part in the graduation ceremony for Sidwell Friends—the exclusive D.C. private school that both Obama children attended. The Obamas met up with their close friends, the Bidens, at the ceremony, as the Biden's granddaughter Maisy, is a good friend and classmate of Sasha's.

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His Book

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Like his wife, Michelle, Obama signed a record-setting book deal after leaving the White House in 2017 for his memoir with publisher Penguin Random House. While Michelle's book, , debuted in November of 2018 to enormous fanfare, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide to become one of the most successful memoirs ever, Obama's own venture is going somewhat more slowly, with current expectations for a 2020 release, possibly around the same time as the election.

The former president is said to be writing the book himself—rather than with a ghost writer—in longhand on legal pads, a method he employed on a number of his presidential speeches and his first book, . The memoir is expected to cover the time from the 2004 Democratic National Convention to the end of his tenure in the White House. No official release date has been announced at this time.

Travel

For his first adventure post-White House, the former president had a month-long, star-studded trip to French Polynesia during which he hung out with the likes of Oprah, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Hanks. He touched down in Tahiti and reportedly checked into the Brando, a resort on the private French Polynesian atoll, Tetiaroa, which was once owned by Marlon Brando. It was a summer residence for Tahitian royalty before the late actor purchased it in 1967 after first visiting to film Mutiny on the Bounty.

He has also spent significant time touring Europe, both for work and pleasure, golfing at prestigious Old Course at St Andrew's in Scotland, appearing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to discuss democracy, vacationing in Italy with Michelle, and even stopping over at Kensington Palace.

Prince Harry and Barack Obama at Kensington Palace Getty Images

In May 2017, the former president met with Prince Harry to discuss, "a range of shared interests including support for veterans, mental health, conservation, empowering young people and the work of their respective foundations," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Later that year, he also took his wife and daughters on trip to Bali. Obama has a deep connection to Indonesia; he lived there as a child starting in 1967, when he and his mother moved to the country's capital, Jakarta. Obama moved back to Obama's birthplace of Honolulu in 1971.

In September 2017, Obama reunited with Prince Harry and the Bidens for the Invictus Games. During the games, Obama was interviewed by the Prince.

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Obama addressed life after the White House and said, among other things, that the issues he cared about while in office are still important to him:

"I still care about making sure that the United States and the world is a place where kids get a decent education. Where people who are willing to work hard are able to find a job that pays a living wage. That we’re conserving the amazing resources of our planet so that future generations can enjoy the beauty of this place. Like we did."

Obama and Education



In May of 2017, Obama unveiled plans for his own future presidential center in Chicago. He painted a picture of a buzzing hub for youth and community programs on the city's South Side where he raised his family and launched his political career.

"What we want this to be is the world premiere institution for training young people and leadership to make a difference in their communities, in their countries and in the world," he told the friendly crowd that included Mayor Rahm Emanuel, his one-time chief of staff.

Michelle and Barack Obama appear with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at a community event to debut the Obama Presidential Center plans on May 3 Getty Images

The plans revealed that the future 225,000 square foot Obama Presidential Center will feature three structures, including a tower-like museum and tree-lined walkways. The Obama Foundation displayed drawings and a miniature model of the center, which will also include a public plaza and classrooms. The facility is anticipated to take about 4 years to build.

What He Earns



The 44th president is said to command one of the highest rates for speaking engagements among former presidents.

In 2017, news broke that Obama planned to charge as much as $400,000 per speaking engagement. The fee is equal to the salary Obama received as president and twice what former President Bill Clinton has received for speeches, according to the New York Times. Hillary Clinton's fees have varied, but the former first lady and presidential candidate received as much as $325,000 for a single appearance in 2015, the Washington Post reports. Former President George W. Bush is reportedly paid $100,000 to $175,000 for his speaking engagements.

The news of Obama's fee immediately drew criticism from liberals and conservatives alike, and critics have pointed out how often the former president criticized big banks and the growing wealth inequality. While it has not become clear in the subsequent years whether that number is Obama's standard, the former president has not wanted for speaking engagements (a typical method by which many previous commanders in chief have paid their way after their time in office), regardless of the cost.

Both the former president and Michelle also signed a book deal after their exit from the White House, said to have totaled as much as $65 million, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Obama's charitable causes.

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