As stressful a job as the U.S. presidency is, let's face it, it comes with a lot of perks, one of which is living on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House is a mansion that comes with anything a presidential heart could desire, from bowling to basketball to a personal chef, not to mention the tons of political power that comes with being president... But all of this is about to come to a close for President Obama, who has less than two months left in office.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, president Obama discussed what's on his mind as the days of his presidency dwindle down and he prepares to hand the Oval Office over to Donald Trump.
When asked about how he felt about the election of Trump, Obama told Rolling Stone more or less the same thing that he's been saying to the press for the last three weeks, that he's disappointed Clinton did not win, but has faith in the democratic process.
But things got a bit nostalgic for the president when he spoke about what he would miss about being president. "I think the thing that I will miss the most about this place, the thing that can get me sentimental – and I try not to get too nostalgic, because I still got a bunch of work to do – it's the team we built here." Obama spoke with pride about the team of people who worked with him side by side, especially young people, on important legislation.
"What I will take away from this experience is them: seeing how they work together, seeing the commitments they have made toward the issues that we care about," the president said.
Obama's words to his young staff echoed the message he has been giving the public lately, which has been one of tempering fears and pushing for optimism. "And one of the things that I have been telling my younger staff, who in some cases have only known politics through my presidency," the Obama said, "is history doesn't travel in a straight line. And it zigs and it zags and sometimes you take two steps forward and then you take a step back."
