Because of the number of headlines he has generated in the past year or so, it can be hard to remember a time before Donald Trump was President of The United States of America. However, this time did exist and the man that served as president before Trump was Barack Obama.
Suarve, charismatic and groundbreaking, Obama was seen as a breath of fresh air in the often stagnant and unrepresentative American political system. Alongside his wife Michelle and their two children, the Obamas were often likened to the Kennedy family, with plenty of people seeing them as the personification of the American dream; they were a happy, hardworking family with a strong set of values.
However, aside from the beaming smiles and family-friendly manner that he had in front of the cameras, what was Obama like when he was away from the media? Well, thankfully, we have an answer.
Jason Wells, a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, knows a thing or two about the Obamas.
As a former US Secret Service Special Agent, Wells worked closely with Obama and his family and gained an insight into their personalities away from the world's lenses. When answering the question ‘Is Barack Obama a nice person when there isn’t a camera around?’ on Quora, Wells had plenty to say.
"During my tenure with the U.S. Secret Service, I was part of (then) Senator Barack Obama’s protection detail from March 2007 until November 2008, on his election night.
"I was chosen as part of a ’round robin’ detail where agents were selected at random from their field offices to spend time with a candidate on the campaign trail to keep him safe.
"This protection detail is known as C.N.O.S. (Campaign Nominee Operation Section) and is basically the rotation that the U.S. Secret Service goes through during the Election season. Sen.
"Obama was given protection unusually early due to the volume of threats that he was receiving.
"The rotation consisted of being out on the road with him 24/7 for three week intervals, home for six weeks, and then back out again. It was like this for 18 months."
Despite having differing political opinions to the former-president, Wells admits that he found the Obama's to be a welcoming, friendly family.
"I made it a point to remain unbiased in my political opinions when asked about Mr. Obama while on this assignment. I also tend to judge others by how they treat me rather than how they expect to be treated.
"I will say that, personally, I have differed on many of President Obama’s stances in politics. I do not support much of his political agenda.
"With that stated…. Senator Obama, Mrs. Obama and their two daughters were always extremely cordial and appreciative for everything that we provided them.
"They were engaging with us, asking us about our families and making sure that we were provided for. On numerous occasions, Mr. Obama would ask me how my wife was doing (she was pregnant with our first child), and wished her the best.
"I never, never saw him belittle another person, I never witnessed him do anything behind his wife’s back….. For all of my political differences with Barack Obama, I will be the first to say that he is a very decent man."
So it appears that Obama is a gentleman both on and off the camera. It's hard not to miss him, isn't it?
