Barack Obama has shared that his daughter Malia has dropped her last name.
Sitting down with the Pivot Podcast, former President Obama delved into his family life, particularly his daughters.
The former president shared that the heightened public attention since the girls left the White House has been difficult for them.
“Their attitude is, ‘We’re not looking for all that,’” he said, noting that both daughters are determined to maintain their privacy. “So they’re grounded,” he added.
Reflecting on his presidency, Obama discussed the careful relationship he managed with political journalists to protect his daughters from unwanted exposure.
“I said, ‘You can follow me around,’” he explained. “‘You can talk about me. You do whatever you need to do. Leave my children alone because they have the right to grow up. They didn’t choose this. Let them grow up.’ And to the credit of the press, they did leave them alone.”
Obama shares two daughters, Malia and Sasha, with his wife Michelle.
During the podcast, Obama opened up about his daughter Malia’s choice to use her middle name professionally, leaving “Obama” out of her credits for her debut film, The Heart.
The 26-year-old writer and director opted to go by “Malia Ann” instead, PEOPLE reported.
“Ann” is her middle name, a tribute to the former President’s late mother.
“I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are,'” Obama recalled telling Malia.
“And she’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association.’ So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.”
Obama explained that both Malia and her younger sister Sasha have a strong desire to succeed on their own, without relying on the influence of their parents’ public profile.
“The challenge for [Michelle and me] is letting us give them any help at all,” Obama said, emphasizing his daughters’ independence.
“I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it.”
Malia recently attended the 50th annual Deauville American Film Festival in France, where she presented The Heart and was honored with the Young Spirit Award.
In her first experience on the red carpet, Malia shared her mixed emotions.
“I’m so excited. I mean, I’ve never done anything like this … so of course [I’m] a little bit terrified, but mostly just excited,” she told Paris Match in a clip that surfaced on TikTok.
