President Barack Obama is viewing the current state of his presidency in an optimistic light: there’s “nowhere to go but up.”
POTUS and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down with ABC‘s Barbara Walters in the White House for an exclusive interview, to air on Friday night. Things haven’t always been rosy for the 44th President, but Obama believes his legacy will still be preserved.
“I’ve gone up and down pretty much consistently throughout,” Obama told Walters during the prerecorded interview. “But the good thing about when you’re down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up.”
Obama said that he is convinced that people will look back on his presidency — and particularly the Affordable Care Act — and view it favorably. He remarked that Obamacare will be his legacy.
“That is going be a legacy I am extraordinarily proud of,” he said.
The President once again expressed his concern over the failed rollout of HealthCare.gov, saying his team was “evaluating” why he didn’t know sooner that the website wouldn’t be ready. He added that making sure the website works by the end of this month is currently his top priority, however.
Negative polling doesn’t seem to be bothering POTUS. He told Walters that he was re-elected because the American people trust him and that every President goes through difficult times — times that usually get more attention than good moments, he added.
“It’s a hard job,” FLOTUS said in the President’s defense. “I am fortunate to be living with a man who has a long view of this job, who understands that, in the case of health care, that this is all about the folks who don’t have insurance, the folks he sees every single day.”
The full interview will air Friday night at 10 p.m. EST, in a special edition of “20/20” called “Walters at the White House.”
