While he was still president, Barack Obama sat down with Ta-Nehisi Coates and discussed what it’s like to be a symbol of power and the recipient of people’s anger and excitement. “When people criticize or respond negatively to me, usually they’re responding to this character that they’re seeing on TV called Barack Obama, or the office of the presidency, or the White House and what that represents,” he says in this animated interview. “So, you don’t take it personally. You understand that if people are angry that somehow the government is failing, than they are going to look to the guy who represents government.”

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