Michelle Obama was at odds with former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and former press secretary Robert Gibbs: book
© Pete Souza/White HousePresident Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pay tribute to outgoing Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at a reception on the Truman Balcony of the White House with senior staff, Oct. 1, 2010.
First lady Michelle Obama is a behind-the-scenes force in the White House whose opinions on policy and politics drew her into conflict with presidential advisers and who bristled at some of the demands and constraints of life as the president's wife, according to a detailed account of the first couple's relationship.
New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, in a book to be published Tuesday, portrays a White House where tensions developed between Mrs. Obama and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and former press secretary and presidential adviser Robert Gibbs.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the book,
The Obamas, Friday evening and
The Times posted a 3,300-word adaption on its website that appeared to capture its most revealing accounts. The book is based on interviews with 30 current and former aides, though President Barack Obama and the first lady declined to be interviewed for the book.
The book portrays Mrs. Obama as having gone through an evolution from struggle to fulfillment in her role at the White House but all the while an "unrecognized force" in pursuing the president's goals.