Valerie Jarrett believes former President Barack Obama doesn’t pick political fights over President Trump because he can’t control what the sitting president does or how he behaves.
“Even when we were in the White House, he wasn’t interested in discussing the day-to-day of politics, whether it was Speaker [John] Boehner or Speaker [Paul] Ryan or Leader [Mitch] McConnell, or whatever was the news of the day,” Jarrett, a former senior adviser to Obama, told New York magazine. “Wasting time on things he can’t control is not of interest to him. Getting sucked into a conversation over someone who he has no ability to influence? What’s the point?”
Jarrett made the comments in an article on Obama’s perceived absence from the political arena, despite concerns related to America’s place in a new international order, the prestige of the office of the president, and the current disregard for democratic norms.
“Michelle and I are fine,” Obama reportedly tells friends when asked how he is dealing with the dismantling of his legacy, according to the publication.
Since leaving office Obama has entered the political fray only at select moments, including after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and on World Refugee Day to talk about the controversy surrounding family separations at the U.S. border.
He is also working on a memoir about his presidency as he lays the groundwork for the Obama Foundation.
