President Obama would love the chance to run against 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump, but his family — and the Constitution — are standing in his way.
In a lengthy interview with HBO's Bill Simmons, Obama spoke about his battle to quit smoking, compared himself to sports stars and spoke about his love for “Game of Thrones.”
Obama told Simmons that his favorite character on it “is probably … the dwarf,” referring to Tyrion Lannister.
“The problem with ‘Game of Thrones,’ though, is that I don’t remember the names of any of the characters,” he told Simmons in the interview published in GQ magazine.
“I remember the characters, so when I watch it, I know exactly what’s going on. But if you read a review of the show afterwards and they’re mentioning such and such, the only one I remember is Jon Snow, because I can pronounce Jon Snow.”
Obama was asked which “Game of Thrones” character is comparable to Trump.
“Uh … I don’t think … I don’t think any of them rise to that level,” he responded.
“If you were campaigning against Trump, would you even bother? Would it be like LaBradford Smith talking trash to [Michael] Jordan or something?” Simmons asked, referring to a journeyman NBA player who once scored 37 points on the basketball legend.
“I would’ve enjoyed campaigning against Trump. That would’ve been fun,” Obama replied.
But Obama dismissed the idea that he wants to stay in the White House beyond two terms.
He said the most amusing conspiracy theory he has read about himself was based on Jade Helm 15, a military exercise some believed that Obama would use to impose martial law to “usurp the Constitution and stay in power longer.”
“Anybody who thinks I could get away with telling Michelle I’m going to be president any longer than eight years does not know my wife,” he said.
He also said his teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia, are ready to leave the White House in January 2017.
“Not as much as Michelle, but certainly ready,” the president said. “There are clear rankings. Michelle. Malia and Sasha, they’re constantly wrestling for second place. I rank ahead of the dogs.”
Asked whether he has kicked his smoking habit, Obama said he has smoked “zero” cigarettes in the last five years.
“I made a promise that once health care passed, I would never have a cigarette again,” he said. “And I have not.”
Even though his family is ready to move on from the White House, Obama spoke about how he is more comfortable as commander in chief seven years into the job.
“There’s no doubt that the longer I’m in this job, the more confident I am about the decisions I’m making and more knowledgeable about the responses I can expect,” he said. “And as a consequence, you end up being looser. There’s not much I have not seen at this point, and I know what to expect, and I can anticipate more than I did before.”
One thing Obama says he has always been good at is staying focused on the long-term, a quality he says he shares with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“I’m able to stay focused even when there’s a lot of stuff going on around me,” Obama said.
“So you’re like [San Antonio Spurs coach] Gregg Popovich. Although he does get mad at sideline reporters,” Simmons responded.
“He does. So do I. Yeah. Or maybe Rodgers in the pocket, in the sense of you can’t be distracted by what’s around you, you’ve got to be looking downfield,” Obama replied. “And I think that’s a quality that I have — not getting flustered in what’s around me.”
The president said he likes to watch old NBA games when he is working out at the gym, and he looks to Jordan, who played for his hometown team the Chicago Bulls, as an example of how to finish strong even when you're not at your best.
“Jordan had some stinker games in the playoffs. But he would get that out of his mind, and then the next moment comes and he’s right there. He could have a terrible game for the first three quarters and then suddenly go crazy the fourth,” Obama said.
“Part of what you aspire to as president or any of these positions of leadership — is to try to figure out how to be in the moment, make the best decision you can, know that you’re going to get a bunch of them right, but a bunch of times you’re also not going to get it exactly the way you want it.”
