Think of Barack Obama as your Marriage Counselor in Chief. The former president is known to take great pride in the number of romances that sprang from his campaigns and administration. Now his communications director, Dan Pfeiffer, reveals three questions Obama says couples should ask themselves before they marry.
The three questions offer a hint to the secret of Barack and Michelle Obama’s successful 25-year marriage. Trying to figure out if you’ve found Mr. Right? Here’s what the president suggested to his aide.
In his new memoir, “Yes, We (Still) Can”, Pfeiffer recounts a conversation he had with his boss back in 2015. Obama was leaving office the next day, and the pair were talking about their plans for the future. Pfeiffer spoke about his relationship with the woman he would later marry.
“So are you guys moving together? This is the one, huh?” he quotes the President asking him. “Here’s the advice I give everyone about marriage: is she someone you find interesting?” The question initially puzzled Pfeiffer, but the aide trusted the President was making a point.
“You will spend more time with this person than anyone else for the rest of your life, and there is nothing more important than always wanting to hear what she has to say about things,” Obama explained.
The next two questions that followed were simple.
“Does she make you laugh? And I don’t know if you want kids, but if you do, do you think she will be a good mom?” Obama asked.
“Life is long. These are the things that really matter over the long term,” he told Pfeiffer.
The communications director thought before answering, and then told Obama that his partner was “incredibly interesting, funnier than I am and will be a phenomenal mom.”
“Sounds like she’s the one. Lucky you,” replied Obama.
The next year, Pfeiffer attended four different weddings of people who met while working for Barack Obama. One of them was his own.
This story is in an excerpt from the book recently shared on social media. Pfeiffer currently is touring the country to promote “Yes, We (Still) Can.” His new memoir details his time in the White House and offers prescriptions for the future of the Democratic Party during the age of President Donald Trump.
