Unshakeable. Unflappable. Unwavering. You could list synonyms that apply to Obama ad infinitum, and few would surely disagree with this, regardless of whether you think his demeanour shows intellectual elegance or political inefficacy.

Many Americans looked to him for some emotion, to share their sense of disbelief, when Donald Trump was elected president, but he remained as cool as ever.

“I don’t believe in apocalyptic, until the apocalypse comes,” he told the New Yorker with regard to the political climate this week, “I think nothing is the end of the world until the end of the world.”

The interviewer pressed him, keen to get some sort of visceral reaction to a reality star president potentially undoing all his work over the best part of a decade, but Obama insisted his tranquillity is no front.

The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 Show all 10 1 /10 The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama thank supporters during the Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama was sworn in for his second term earlier in the day. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for the Inaugural Ball at the Walter Washington Convention Center January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama started his second term by taking the Oath of Office earlier in the day during a ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for the Inaugural Ball at the Walter Washington Convention Center January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama started his second term by taking the Oath of Office earlier in the day during a ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 U.S. President Barack Obama dances with first lady Michelle Obama during the Inaugural Ball January 21, 2013 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term as President of the United States. Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama ride in a golf cart an Inaugural ball 1/20/09 Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dance during the Youth Inaugural Ball at the Hilton Washington in Washington, DC, January 20, 2009. Obama was sworn in as the 44th US president earlier in the day. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 (L-R) US President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and president-elect Barack Obama stand outside the Diplomatic entrance of the White House on November 10, 2008 in Washington. Obama is visiting the White House at the invitation of Bush ahead of his January 20, 2009 inauguration as the next president. AFP PHOTO/Tim SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images) Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 (L-R) US President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and president-elect Barack Obama stand outside the Diplomatic entrance of the White House on November 10, 2008 in Washington. Obama is visiting the White House at the invitation of Bush ahead of his January 20, 2009 inauguration as the next president. AFP PHOTO/Tim SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 US President George W. Bush and president-elect Barack Obama make their way through the Colonnade on November 10, 208 to a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Obama is visiting the White House at the invitation of Bush ahead of his January 20, 2009 inauguration as the next president. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The Obamas celebrate the Inauguration in 2009 and 2013 performs during MTV & ServiceNation: Live From The Youth Inaugural Ball at the Hilton Washington on January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States today, becoming the first African-American to be elected President of the US. Getty Images

“Look, by dint of biography, by dint of experience, the basic optimism that I articulate and present publicly as President is real,” he said.

“It’s what I teach my daughters. It is how I interact with my friends and with strangers. I genuinely do not assume the worst, because I’ve seen the best so often.

“So it is a mistake that I think people have sometimes made to think that I’m just constantly biting my tongue and there’s this sort of roiling anger underneath the calm Hawaiian exterior. I’m not that good of an actor.

“I was born to a white mother, raised by a white mom and grandparents who loved me deeply. I’ve had extraordinarily close relationships with friends that have lasted decades. I was elected twice by the majority of the American people. Every day, I interact with people of good will everywhere.”