Barack Obama Admits Wife Michelle Doesn't Like Him Being So Vocal in Politics Lately: 'She Would Very Much Prefer a Quieter Life for Us'

Barack and Michelle Obama got candid about their personal lives while speaking with Robin Roberts for Good Morning America.

While the interview, which aired on Wednesday, June 17, was centered on the couple opening the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Ill., the former president also touched on how he's felt the need to speak out against Donald Trump.

Back in 2017, the ex-POTUS, 64, admitted he wanted "to be quiet a little bit, not hear myself talk so darn much."

However, Roberts pointed out he also said "when core values are still at take, it would merit you speaking out."

"How have you been able to find that balance?" the GMA host, 65, asked.

"You pick and choose your spots. I'm not suggesting I've done it perfectly," the dad-of-two admitted. "My goal was to look at the example of our first president, George Washington. He kind of said, 'Alright, I've done my stint, and now I'm going back home.'"

"And I think Michelle would very much prefer a quieter life for us," Barack acknowledged. "On the other hand, there have been some folks who would like to see me out every day banging the drum."

"What I tried to do is move from player to coach," he noted. "Part of our foundation issue here is, how do we encourage the next generation of leadership?"

In a May interview with the New Yorker, Barack admitted that Donald and his administration's controversial policies have pulled him back into the political world "more than [he] would have preferred," which he admitted caused "genuine tension" in his marriage.

"It frustrates [Michelle]," the ex-president acknowledged. "She wants to see her husband easing up and spending more time with her, enjoying what remains of our lives."

"I’m more forgiving of it, in the sense that I understand why people feel that way, because people aren’t looking at me in historical comparison to other presidents," Barack continued. "They don’t care about the fact that no other ex-president was the main surrogate for the Party for four election cycles after they left office."

The pair, who wed in 1991, were plagued by divorce rumors last year, as the Becoming author, 62, didn't join her husband for high-profile events such as Donald Trump's second inauguration.

However, she dismissed the gossip on the "Wild Card" podcast.

"The fact that people don’t see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage," she said. "It’s like, ‘OK, so we don’t Instagram every minute of our lives.’ We are 60. We’re 60, y’all. You just are not gonna know what we’re doing every minute of the day."