Barack Obama, the 44th U.S. President (2009-2017), was the first African-American president. A Democrat, he previously served as a U.S. Senator for Illinois (2005-2008) and an Illinois State Senator (1997-2004). His presidency was marked by the Affordable Care Act, the end of the Iraq War, and the killing of Osama bin Laden. He faced challenges including the Great Recession and political polarization. Obama's legacy includes his efforts to address climate change and promote international cooperation.
Michelle Obama clarified divorce rumors with Barack, stating that any marital struggles would be public. She also discussed couples therapy. She emphasized openness about challenges, dispelling speculation and highlighting their relationship.
In 1960, Barack Obama's parents met in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where his father was a foreign student on a scholarship.
On February 2, 1961, Barack Obama's parents, Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr., married in Wailuku, Hawaii, six months before Obama was born.
On August 4, 1961, Barack Hussein Obama II was born. He later became the 44th president of the United States.
In late August 1961, a few weeks after he was born, Barack Obama and his mother moved to the University of Washington in Seattle, where they lived for a year.
In June 1962, Barack Obama's father completed his undergraduate degree in economics in Hawaii.
In March 1964, Barack Obama's parents divorced.
On March 15, 1965, Ann Dunham and Lolo Soetoro married on Molokai.
In 1965, Medicare and Medicaid were passed. These serve as a comparison point for the significance of the Affordable Care Act passed during Obama's presidency.
In 1971, Barack Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents.
In 1971, Obama Sr. visited his son in Hawaii only once, before he was killed in an automobile accident in 1982.
From 1972 to 1975, Barack Obama lived with his mother and half-sister, Maya Soetoro, in Hawaii while his mother was a graduate student.
In 1975, Obama chose to stay in Hawaii when his mother and half-sister returned to Indonesia.
In 1979, Barack Obama graduated from high school in Honolulu.
In 1979, Barack Obama moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College on a full scholarship.
In 1980, Barack Obama visited Kenya.
In February 1981, Barack Obama made his first public speech, calling for Occidental to participate in the disinvestment from South Africa in response to that nation's policy of apartheid.
In 1982, Barack Obama's father was killed in an automobile accident.
In 1983, Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a 3.7 GPA.
In June 1985, Barack Obama was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project, a faith-based community organization, in Chicago.
In 1985, Barack Obama worked as a project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group on the City College of New York campus for three months.
In 1985, the Woods Fund of Chicago was the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project.
The 1985 Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl. In 2011, Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House, which had not been done after their Super Bowl win in 1986 due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
After the 1985 Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl, they did not visit the White House due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. In 2011, Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House.
In October 1987, Barack Obama met Trinity United Church of Christ pastor Jeremiah Wright.
In May 1988, Barack Obama left his position as director of the Developing Communities Project.
In 1988, Barack Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School.
In June 1989, Barack Obama met Michelle Robinson while working at Sidley Austin. Michelle was assigned as his advisor at the firm. They began dating later that summer.
In 1989, Barack Obama worked as a summer associate at the law firm of Sidley Austin in Chicago.
In 1990, Barack Obama worked as a summer associate at the law firm of Hopkins & Sutter in Chicago.
In 1991, Barack Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book.
In 1991, Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson became engaged.
In 1991, Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor magna cum laude.
On October 3, 1992, Barack Obama married Michelle Robinson after becoming engaged in 1991.
In October 1992, Barack Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote, a voter registration campaign.
In 1992, Barack Obama became a member of Trinity United Church of Christ.
In 1992, Barack Obama started teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School as a lecturer.
In 1992, Obama's mother earned a PhD degree.
In 1993, Crain's Chicago Business named Barack Obama to its list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.
In 1994, Barack Obama joined the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago.
In 1995, Barack Obama joined the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, serving as founding president and chairman.
In 1995, Barack Obama's memoir, Dreams from My Father, was published.
In 1995, Barack Obama's mother died in Hawaii following unsuccessful treatment for ovarian and uterine cancer.
In 1996, Barack Obama became a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.
In 1996, Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate, succeeding Alice Palmer.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Church Arson Prevention Act. This act is referenced as the most recent addition to hate crime law prior to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act signed by Obama.
In 1998, Barack Obama was re-elected to the Illinois Senate, defeating Yesse Yehudah.
In 1998, Malia Ann, the first daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama, was born after Michelle underwent in vitro fertilization.
In 1999, Barack Obama ended his term as chairman of the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.
In 2000, Barack Obama lost a Democratic primary race for Illinois's 1st congressional district to Bobby Rush.
In 2001, Natasha "Sasha", the second daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama, was born.
In 2001, as co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Barack Obama supported Republican governor George Ryan's payday loan and predatory mortgage lending regulations.
In May 2002, Barack Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race.
In August 2002, Barack Obama lined up David Axelrod as his political media consultant for a potential U.S. Senate run.
In 2002, Barack Obama ended his service on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago and the Joyce Foundation.
In 2002, Barack Obama was re-elected to the Illinois Senate for another term.
In January 2003, Barack Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee.
In January 2003, Barack Obama formally announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
In March 2003, Barack Obama addressed another anti-war rally, stating "it's not too late" to stop the war.
In the March 2004 primary election, Barack Obama won in an unexpected landslide, making him a rising star and leading to speculation about a presidential future and the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father.
In June 2004, Jack Ryan, Barack Obama's expected opponent in the general election, withdrew from the U.S. Senate race.
In July 2004, Barack Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which was seen by nine million viewers and elevated his status within the Democratic Party.
In November 2004, Barack Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate following his election to the U.S. Senate.
In the November 2004 general election, Barack Obama won the U.S. Senate seat with 70 percent of the vote against Alan Keyes, the largest margin of victory for a Senate candidate in Illinois history.
In 2004, Barack Obama stopped teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.
In May 2002, Barack Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race.
On January 3, 2005, Barack Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator, becoming the only Senate member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
In 2005, Barack Obama, then a senator, threw out the first pitch at the American League Championship Series (ALCS) game.
In 2005, the Obama family moved from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago, using the proceeds from a book deal.
In 2005, the Obama's tax return showed a household income of $1.6 million, up to $4.2 million in 2007 and $5.5 million in 2009, mostly from book sales.
In December 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, the first federal legislation enacted with Barack Obama as its primary sponsor.
Through December 2006, Barack Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works, and Veterans' Affairs.
In 2006, Barack Obama authorized the establishment of USAspending.gov, a web search engine on federal spending with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.
In 2006, Barack Obama won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Dreams from My Father.
In a 2006 interview, Barack Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family.
In January 2007, Barack Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act.
In January 2007, Barack Obama left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He also became Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs.
On February 10, 2007, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, emphasizing ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and reforming health care.
In August 2007, at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, Obama expressed puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough," stating that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."
In September 2007, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, including a corporate jet provision introduced by Barack Obama, was signed into law.
In October 2007, Obama acknowledged his youthful image in a campaign speech, remarking: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."
In December 2007, Money Magazine estimated Barack Obama's net worth at $1.3 million.
In 2007, Barack Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act to add safeguards for personality-disorder military discharges.
In 2007, Barack Obama's law license became inactive.
In January 2008, Barack Obama told Christianity Today that he is a Christian and a devout Christian, believing in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
During his first presidential campaign, in May 2008, Barack Obama resigned from Trinity United Church of Christ after some of Jeremiah Wright's statements were criticized.
On June 2, 2008, Barack Obama received enough votes to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination after a close race with Hillary Clinton.
On June 3, 2008, Senator Barack Obama, along with Senators Tom Carper, Tom Coburn, and John McCain, introduced the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008.
On June 19, 2008, Barack Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate since 1976 to turn down public financing for the general election.
On August 23, 2008, Barack Obama announced his selection of Delaware senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate, choosing him from a group that included Evan Bayh and Tim Kaine.
In October 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain engaged in three presidential debates as part of the 2008 election campaign.
On November 2, 2008, Madelyn Dunham, Barack Obama's maternal grandmother, died, two days before his election to the presidency.
On November 16, 2008, Barack Obama resigned his seat in the U.S. Senate to focus on his transition period for the presidency.
In 2008, Barack Obama was named TIME Magazine's Time Person of the Year and won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Dreams from My Father.
In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated by the Democratic Party for president after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. He selected Joe Biden as his running mate and defeated Republican nominee John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin in the 2008 presidential election.
In 2008, Barack Obama's administration responded to the 2008 financial crisis with measures including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
In 2008, Barack Obama's campaign was highlighted as one of the most effective in American history. He was also considered one of the most talented political orators of the 21st century. Historian Julian Zelizer credits Obama with a keen understanding of government institutions and policy design. Obama's policy successes included the economic stimulus package, Dodd-Frank reforms, and the Affordable Care Act.
In the spring of 2008, the full Senate passed Barack Obama's amendment to the Defense Authorization Act, adding safeguards for personality-disorder military discharges.
The financial crisis of 2008 led to the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010.
In January 2009, after the Obamas moved to Washington, D.C., their daughters Malia and Sasha started attending Sidwell Friends School.
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. He issued executive orders to withdraw troops from Iraq and close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
In February 2009, Obama announced an increase in U.S. troop levels by 17,000 military personnel in Afghanistan to address the deteriorating situation.
In February 2009, a poll conducted in Western Europe and the U.S. by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most respected world leader, as well as the most powerful.
On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the global recession. The act included increased federal spending for healthcare, infrastructure, education, tax breaks, and direct assistance to individuals.
On February 27, 2009, Obama announced that combat operations in Iraq would end within 18 months.
On March 11, 2009, President Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls, which was established by Executive Order 13506 to advise him on issues relating to the welfare of American women and girls. Valerie Jarrett chaired the council.
In February and March 2009, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration.
In March 2009, President Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry, renewing loans for General Motors (GM) and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing. The White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the sale of Chrysler to Fiat and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a 60 percent equity stake.
In March 2009, President Obama lifted a ban on using federal funds for stem cell research.
In March 2009, President Obama reversed a Bush-era policy that had limited funding for embryonic stem cell research, pledging to develop strict guidelines for the research.
In May 2009, Obama replaced the military commander in Afghanistan, General David D. McKiernan, with Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.
In May 2009, a similar poll conducted by Harris, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn.
On May 26, 2009, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter.
On June 4, 2009, President Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "A New Beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.
In June 2009, President Obama, dissatisfied with the pace of economic stimulus, called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment. He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System, known as "Cash for Clunkers", which temporarily boosted the economy.
On June 26, 2009, President Obama condemned the Iranian government's actions towards protesters following Iran's 2009 presidential election.
On July 14, 2009, House Democratic leaders introduced a 1,017-page plan for overhauling the U.S. health care system, which President Obama wanted Congress to approve by the end of 2009.
In July 2009, the Obama administration launched the Priority Enforcement Program, an immigration enforcement initiative.
On August 6, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, becoming the first Supreme Court Justice of Hispanic descent.
On October 1, 2009, the Obama administration proceeded with the Bush administration's program to increase nuclear weapons production by expanding two existing nuclear sites to produce new bomb parts under the "Complex Modernization" initiative.
On October 8, 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, expanding the federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".
On October 30, 2009, President Obama lifted the ban on travel to the United States by those infected with HIV.
On November 7, 2009, a health care bill featuring the public option was passed in the House.
By the end of November 2009, The Bush and Obama administrations authorized spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury totaling about $11.5 trillion, but only $3 trillion had been spent.
In November 2009, Obama's approval ratings dropped below the majority level.
On December 1, 2009, Obama announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 military personnel to Afghanistan.
On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its own health care bill—without a public option—on a party-line vote of 60–39.
In 2009, Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize from the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
In 2009, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in international diplomacy. During his first term, his administration responded to the 2008 financial crisis with measures including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
In 2009, Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which included the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This act expanded federal hate crime laws to include crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
In 2009, the Obama's tax return showed a household income of $5.5 million, up from $4.2 million in 2007 and $1.6 million in 2005, mostly from book sales.
In 2009, the saying "thanks, Obama" first appeared in a Twitter hashtag, "#thanks Obama", and was later used in a demotivational poster. It was later adopted satirically to blame Obama for any socio-economic ills.
In 2009, the unemployment rate rose, reaching a peak in October at 10.0 percent and averaging 10.0 percent in the fourth quarter.
Since moving to Washington, D.C., in 2009, the Obama family has attended several Protestant churches, including Shiloh Baptist Church and St. John's Episcopal Church, as well as Evergreen Chapel at Camp David, but the members of the family do not attend church on a regular basis.
On December 31, 2009, the U.S. federal inmate population began to decline by five percent.
In March 2010, Obama took a public stance against plans by the government of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building Jewish housing projects in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.
In March 2010, an agreement was reached with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new pact, reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons in both countries' arsenals by about a third.
In March 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the net effect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be a reduction in the federal deficit by $143 billion over the first decade.
On March 21, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which had previously been passed by the Senate in December 2009, was passed in the House by a vote of 219 to 212.
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, colloquially "Obamacare") into law.
Prior to the oil spill, on March 31, 2010, President Obama ended a ban on oil and gas drilling along the majority of the East Coast of the United States and along the coast of northern Alaska in an effort to win support for an energy and climate bill and to reduce foreign imports of oil and gas.
Although an April 2010, survey of members of the National Association for Business Economics showed an increase in job creation (over a similar January survey) for the first time in two years, 73 percent of 68 respondents believed the stimulus bill has had no impact on employment.
In April 2010, Obama and Medvedev signed the New START treaty.
In April 2010, President Obama announced a planned change in direction at NASA, ending plans for a return of human spaceflight to the moon and development of the Ares I rocket, Ares V rocket and Constellation program, in favor of funding earth science projects and research for a crewed mission to Mars.
On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a major sustained oil leak. President Obama visited the Gulf, announced a federal investigation, and formed a bipartisan commission to recommend new safety standards. He then announced a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases.
On May 10, 2010, President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens.
In June 2010, David Petraeus replaced McChrystal as commander in Afghanistan after McChrystal's staff criticized White House personnel.
In July 2010, the Federal Reserve noted that economic activity continued to increase, but its pace had slowed, and chairman Ben Bernanke said the economic outlook was "unusually uncertain".
Starting in July 2010, the Central Intelligence Agency began receiving information that led to the determination of Osama bin Laden's suspected hideout.
On August 5, 2010, Elena Kagan was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, bringing the number of women sitting simultaneously on the Court to three for the first time in American history.
By August 2010, Obama's approval ratings were in the low 40s.
By August 2010, the Obama administration scheduled the withdrawal of combat troops to be completed, decreasing troop levels from 142,000 while leaving a transitional force of about 50,000 in Iraq until the end of 2011.
On August 19, 2010, the last U.S. combat brigade exited Iraq, transitioning remaining troops to counter-terrorism efforts and training Iraqi security forces.
On August 31, 2010, Obama announced that the United States combat mission in Iraq was over.
On September 27, 2010, Barack Obama released a statement commenting on his religious views.
Between February and December 2010, employment rose by 0.8 percent, which was less than the average of 1.9 percent experienced during comparable periods in the past four employment recoveries.
In December 2010, the U.S. Senate ratified the New START treaty.
On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 into law. The $858 billion compromise included a temporary, two-year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of unemployment benefits, and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes.
On December 22, 2010, President Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, ending the policy that had prevented gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the United States Armed Forces.
In 2010, Barack Obama donated 14 percent of his $1.7 million income to non-profit organizations, including $131,000 to the Fisher House Foundation.
In 2010, Barack Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act, ending the policy that banned open service in the U.S. armed forces by LGBT people. The law went into effect the following year.
In 2010, Barack Obama's Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which was never enacted but later incorporated in the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; and co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism.
In 2010, Obama signed into effect the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in response to the 2008 financial crisis. It brought the most significant changes to financial regulation in the United States since the regulatory reform that followed the Great Depression under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In 2010, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year was implemented. It included the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This act expanded federal hate crime laws to include crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
In 2010, for people making up to 400 percent of the FPL ($88,000 for family of four in 2010) their maximum "out-of-pocket" payment for annual premiums will be from 2 percent to 9.5 percent of income, according to White House and CBO figures.
In 2010, provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect. The ACA represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.
In February 2011, protests began in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi as part of the Arab Spring, and soon turned violent.
In March 2011, CIA head Leon Panetta reported intelligence regarding Osama bin Laden's hideout to President Obama.
On April 4, 2011, Barack Obama officially announced his reelection campaign for 2012 by filing election papers and releasing a video titled "It Begins with Us" on his website.
On May 1, 2011, Obama authorized a "surgical raid" by United States Navy SEALs that resulted in the shooting death of Osama bin Laden and the seizure of documents and computer hardware. The raid occurred in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Following the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, Obama experienced a small poll bounce and steadily maintained 50–53 percent approval for about a month.
In May 2011, Barack Obama met with his Irish cousins in Moneygall.
In July 2011, troop withdrawals from Afghanistan began, 18 months after Obama announced the deployment of additional troops.
On August 2, 2011, President Obama signed the bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011. The legislation enforced limits on discretionary spending until 2021, established a procedure to increase the debt limit, and created a Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
On August 18, 2011, Obama issued a written statement stating that "The time has come for President Assad to step aside" in Syria.
On October 21, 2011, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq in time to be "home for the holidays."
In December 2011, Obama instructed agencies to consider LGBT rights when issuing financial aid to foreign countries.
In 2011, Barack Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House, which had not been done after their Super Bowl win in 1986 due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
In 2011, Barack Obama ordered the military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, contributing to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi and the outbreak of the Libyan crisis.
In 2011, President Obama ordered a drone strike in Yemen which targeted and killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an American imam suspected of being a leading Al-Qaeda organizer. al-Awlaki became the first U.S. citizen to be targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike. The killing led to significant controversy.
In 2011, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, being the only nation to do so.
On April 3, 2012, Barack Obama secured the 2778 convention delegates needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination, running virtually unopposed in the primaries.
On May 9, 2012, President Obama publicly affirmed his personal support for the legalization of same-sex marriage, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so.
On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5–4 vote in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was constitutional under the U.S. Congress's taxing authority.
In July 2012, Ancestry.com found a strong likelihood that Ann Dunham, Barack Obama's mother, was descended from John Punch, an enslaved African man who lived in the Colony of Virginia during the seventeenth century.
On November 6, 2012, Barack Obama won 332 electoral votes and 51.1 percent of the popular vote, securing his re-election as President of the United States. He addressed supporters in Chicago after the victory.
By November 2012, the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent.
In 2012, Barack Obama defeated Republican opponent Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan in the presidential election.
In 2012, Barack Obama was named TIME Magazine's Time Person of the Year.
In 2012, Obama authorized multiple programs run by the CIA and the Pentagon to train anti-Assad rebels in Syria.
Per Barack Obama's 2012 financial disclosure, his net worth may be as much as $10 million.
On January 16, 2013, one month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, President Obama signed 23 executive orders and outlined a series of gun control proposals, including reintroducing a ban on military-style assault weapons and requiring background checks on all gun sales.
During his second inaugural address on January 21, 2013, President Obama became the first U.S. president in office to call for full equality for gay Americans and the first to mention gay rights or the word "gay" in an inaugural address.
In February 2013, Obama announced that the U.S. military would reduce troop levels in Afghanistan from 68,000 to 34,000 troops by February 2014.
Obama's approval rating reached a level unseen since May 2013, when it reached 50 percent.
In July 2013, President Obama expressed reservations and said he "would reject the Keystone XL pipeline if it increased carbon pollution [or] greenhouse emissions."
In August 2013, Obama criticized Russia's law that discriminates against homosexual people.
In November 2013, the Obama administration opened negotiations with Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, which included an interim agreement.
On December 10, 2013, Cuban President Raúl Castro greeted and shook hands with Obama at the Nelson Mandela memorial service in Johannesburg.
In December 2013, President Obama declared that growing income inequality is a "defining challenge of our time" and called on Congress to bolster the safety net and raise wages. Obama also urged Congress to ratify a 12-nation free trade pact called the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
During the last month of 2013, the unemployment rate decreased to 6.7 percent.
Following the 2013 global surveillance disclosures by Edward Snowden, President Obama condemned the leak as unpatriotic but called for increased restrictions on the National Security Agency (NSA) to address violations of privacy.
In 2013, Jeffrey Goldberg reported that Obama believed Netanyahu's settlement announcements were leading Israel toward "near-total isolation."
In 2013, Sunny, a female Portuguese Water Dog, joined Bo in the Obama family.
On January 22, 2014, President Obama established the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault through a government memorandum, with a broad mandate to advise him on issues relating to sexual assault on college and university campuses throughout the United States. The co-chairs of the Task Force were Vice President Joe Biden and Valerie Jarrett.
By February 2014, the troop levels in Afghanistan were planned to reduce to 34,000 U.S. troops.
In June 2014, following the capture of Mosul by ISIL, Obama sent 275 troops to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
In August 2014, during the Sinjar massacre, Obama ordered a campaign of U.S. airstrikes against ISIL.
In December 2014, Obama, with Pope Francis as an intermediary, negotiated a restoration of relations with Cuba, after nearly sixty years of détente, known as the Cuban Thaw.
By 2014, Obama began openly discussing the disadvantages faced by many members of minority groups.
During 2014, the unemployment rate continued to decline, falling to 6.3 percent in the first quarter.
In 2014, Barack Obama received The Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education's Ambassador of Humanity Award.
In 2014, Obama authorized an air campaign aimed primarily at ISIL in Syria.
In 2014, Obama likened the Zionist movement to the civil rights movement in the United States, stating both sought justice and equal rights.
In 2014, most of the health-related provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect, including expanding Medicaid eligibility and subsidizing insurance premiums.
On February 24, 2015, President Obama vetoed a bill that would have authorized the Keystone XL pipeline. It was the third veto of Obama's presidency and his first major veto.
In March 2015, Obama authorized U.S. forces to provide logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi Arabian military intervention in Yemen, which included establishing a "Joint Planning Cell" with Saudi Arabia.
In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in King v. Burwell that subsidies to help individuals and families purchase health insurance were authorized for those doing so on both the federal exchange and state exchanges.
On July 1, 2015, President Obama announced that formal diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States would resume, and embassies would be opened in Washington and Havana.
On July 14, 2015, a deal titled the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" was announced. The deal saw sanctions removed in exchange for measures that would prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. The deal drew strong criticism from Republican and conservative quarters, and from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On August 13, 2015, Cuba upgraded the "interests section" in Washington to an embassy.
In October 2015, the Pentagon-run program to train anti-Assad rebels was formally abandoned after being found to have failed.
In October 2015, the White House announced a plan to keep U.S. Forces in Afghanistan indefinitely due to the deteriorating security situation.
In November 2015, Obama reaffirmed the stance that "The time has come for President Assad to step aside".
In December 2015, Obama started a $348 billion program to back the biggest U.S. buildup of nuclear arms since Ronald Reagan left the White House.
In 2015, the Brookings Institution ranked Obama as the 18th-greatest American president.
In early 2015, with the addition of the "Panther Brigade" of the 82nd Airborne Division the number of U.S. ground troops in Iraq increased to 4,400, and by July American-led coalition air forces counted 44,000 sorties over the battlefield.
By December 31, 2015, inmates sentenced in U.S. federal custody had declined by five percent since 2009, marking the largest decline since Jimmy Carter's presidency.
On January 5, 2016, President Obama announced new executive actions extending background check requirements to more gun sellers.
According to Gallup, Obama's approval rating reached 50 percent in March 2016, a level unseen since May 2013.
In March 2016, Obama visited Havana, Cuba for two days, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to arrive since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
In a March 2016 Gallup poll, nearly one third of Americans said they worried "a great deal" about race relations, a higher figure than in any previous Gallup poll since 2001.
In September 2016, Obama was snubbed by Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party upon arrival at Hangzhou International Airport for the 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit, lacking the usual red carpet welcome.
In December 2016, President Obama permanently banned new offshore oil and gas drilling in most United States-owned waters in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans using the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Act.
On December 23, 2016, under the Obama administration, the United States abstained from United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In 2016 Obama said "Our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind" and that it was "a mess".
In 2016, Barack Obama discussed the items he carries with him for inspiration, including rosary beads from Pope Francis, a Hanuman figurine, a Coptic cross from Ethiopia, a small Buddha statue, and a metal poker chip.
In 2016, Barack Obama ordered sanctions against Russia following Russian interference in the U.S. elections.
In 2016, the Obama administration ended the ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. armed forces.
In 2016, the Obama administration proposed arms deals with Saudi Arabia worth $115 billion, but halted the sale of guided munition technology after a deadly incident in Yemen.
In 2016, the Pentagon ended the policy that barred transgender people from serving openly in the military.
In 2016, the last year of his presidency, the U.S. dropped 26,171 bombs on seven different countries under the Obama administration, which substantially escalated the use of drone strikes against suspected militants and terrorists.
On January 5, 2017, the United States House of Representatives voted 342–80 to condemn the UN Resolution.
On January 6, 2017, the Israeli government withdrew its annual dues from the United Nations following the U.S. abstention from Security Council Resolution 2334.
In January 2017, Barack Obama left office with a 60 percent approval rating.
On January 20, 2017, Obama's presidency ended upon the inauguration of his successor, Donald Trump.
In May 2017, the relationship between Barack Obama and anthropologist Sheila Miyoshi Jager became public, several months after the end of his presidency. Obama had proposed to Jager twice in the 1980s, but she and her parents declined.
In 2017, Barack Obama left office with high approval ratings both within the United States and among foreign advisories.
In 2017, Barack Obama received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
In 2017, the penalty for violating the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act was repealed, effective 2019.
On May 22, 2018, Barack and Michelle Obama signed a deal to produce docu-series, documentaries and features for Netflix under the Obamas' newly formed production company, Higher Ground Productions.
In 2018, Barack Obama received the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award.
In 2018, Gallup's job approval poll showed Obama received a 63 percent approval rating.
In 2018, a Gallup retrospective approval poll of former presidents showed that Obama garnered a 63 percent approval rating.
In 2019, Barack and Michelle Obama bought a home on Martha's Vineyard from Wyc Grousbeck.
In 2019, the repeal of the penalty for violating the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act went into effect.
On April 14, 2020, Obama endorsed Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee, for president in the presidential election, stating that he has "all the qualities we need in a president right now."
In 2020, Barack Obama campaigned for candidates in various American elections, including in Biden's successful presidential bid.
In 2020, Higher Ground's first film, American Factory, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
In 2020, provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect. The ACA represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.
In February 2021, Obama and musician Bruce Springsteen started a podcast called Renegades: Born in the USA where the two talk about "their backgrounds, music and their 'enduring love of America.'"
On May 8, 2021, Bo, one of the Obama family's two Portuguese Water Dogs, died of cancer. Bo was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy.
In 2021, the discretionary spending limits that were enforced as part of the bi-partisan Budget Control Act signed into law on August 2, 2011 expired.
On March 4, 2022, Obama won an Audio Publishers Association (APA) Award in the best narration by the author category for the narration of his memoir A Promised Land.
In 2022, Barack Obama won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for Our Great National Parks.
In March 2023, Obama traveled to Australia as a part of his speaking tour of the country. During the trip, Obama met with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and visited Melbourne for the first time. Obama was reportedly paid more than $1 million for two speeches.
In October 2023, during the Gaza war, Obama declared that Israel must dismantle Hamas in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on Israel. Weeks later, Obama warned Israel that its actions could "harden Palestinian attitudes for generations" and weaken international support for Israel; any military strategy that ignored the war's human costs "could ultimately backfire."
In 2023, Barack Obama won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for Working: What We Do All Day.
In 2023, a Gallup retrospective approval poll of former presidents showed that Obama garnered a 63 percent approval rating again, ranking him the fourth most popular president since World War II.
In July 2024, Barack Obama voiced worries regarding Joe Biden's campaign's prospects following Biden's debate performance against Donald Trump. Later that month, Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Kamala Harris. Obama subsequently endorsed Harris and campaigned for her.
In 2005, the Obama family moved to a $1.6 million house; equivalent to $2.6 million in 2024.
In December 2007, Money Magazine estimated Barack Obama's net worth at $1.3 million; equivalent to $2 million in 2024.
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