Michelle Obama’s Brother Jokes He Didn’t See Barack as ‘The One’ at First
Michelle Obama’s brother Craig Robinson finally admits what he really thought when his sister started dating a guy named Barack Obama.
During the Wednesday, April 16, episode of the sibling podcast “IMO: Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,” the former First Lady’s older brother revealed that when he met the future President of the United States, he didn’t believe the two would last.
“Mich starts to date Barack, and we don’t know who this guy is. We’re just like, ‘Barack? Who’s got a name like Barack?” Robinson teased, adding, “And I’m thinking to myself, it’s gonna last like about a month, like most of your relationships did.” However, Michelle quickly pushed back, declaring, “I had many a long-term boyfriend.”
Still, the siblings remained divided on how serious Michelle’s previous romances really were.
Robinson added that their mom’s initial reaction to the now-63-year-old former president was, “‘Ooo at least he’s tall,’ because Mich was usually posting up her other boyfriends.” But even with height on his side, Robinson still thought, “Well, it’s too bad it’s not gonna last.”
At Michelle’s urging, he later invited Barack to a pickup basketball game—a strategic move, based on advice from their father. “You could tell a lot about somebody by how they played,” Robinson explained. “He’s left-handed, so he couldn’t go right at all, but most importantly, he was a team player. He fit in with the people.”
That sealed the deal for Robinson, who reported back to Michelle that “everything was fine”—and the rest is history.
The couple would ultimately tie the knot in 1992 and go on to welcome two daughters, Malia and Sasha.
