President Barack Obama has opened up about “digging [himself] out of a hole” in his relationship with Michelle Obama.
Speaking at London’s O2 Arena during his European speaking tour on Wednesday, Obama reflected on how his time in the White House took a toll on their marriage.
“I was digging myself out of the hole I found myself in with Michelle … Now I’m at about level ground,” he said, according to The Standard.
The former president acknowledged that repairing their relationship had been a “challenge,” noting that public attention on their personal life surfaced most recently when Michelle did not join him at the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter in January. She also skipped President Donald Trump’s inauguration just a week later.
Obama also addressed Trump’s recent comments on autism and Tylenol, accusing the president of committing “violence against the truth.”
“We have the spectacle of my successor in the Oval Office, making broad claims around certain drugs and autism that have been continuously disproved,” Obama said.
“The degree to which that undermines public health, the degree to which that can do harm to women who are pregnant, the degree to which that creates anxiety for parents who do have children who are autistic — which, by the way, itself is subject to a spectrum, and a lot of what is being trumpeted as these massive increases actually have to do with a broadening of the criteria across that spectrum so that people can actually get services and help,” he continued. “All of that is violence against the truth.”
The Trump administration announced in April a major research initiative to investigate the causes of autism, with the president hinting at the plan during a memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have one of the biggest announcement(s) … medically, I think, in the history of our country. I think you’re going to find it to be amazing,” he said at the time.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., along with President Trump, discussed the administration’s linking of acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — to autism, urging pregnant women to limit use.
Tylenol manufacturer Kenvue strongly disagreed with the assessment, asserting that “acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women.”
“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” a company spokesperson said. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
