2024-03-04 10:19:23
Before the end of his second term as President of the United States of America, Barack Obama joked with White House reporters regarding his post-presidential preoccupations. “I’ll probably get a public driver’s license or play golf every day while wearing comfortable jeans.”
Obama may have actually reduced his tie and formal suit, but he did not devote himself to practicing his hobbies and did not have to drive a taxi. As soon as he left the Oval Office, the man found in front of him a notebook full of appointments and projects, turning him into one of the busiest and highest-paid former presidents, receiving $400,000 for every lecture he delivered.
Former US President Barack Obama giving a lecture at an American university (AFP)
George Washington and the alcohol factory
The former president’s interests and new sources of livelihood were diverse, but the greatest focus was on film and television productions. His immersion in this field reached the point of winning Oscars, Emmys, and others.
But Obama is not the first American president to have a successful career following leaving power. It seems that this is a tradition in the United States, whose beginnings go back to the founding president, George Washington.
With the end of his term as the first American president in 1797, Washington returned to his hometown of Mount Vernon in New York, where he devoted himself to farming and purchasing land with the aim of establishing agricultural projects on it. When he became certain that the project was going to fail, he established an alcohol factory and worked on developing it until it became the largest in the United States at that time.
A picture of the first US President, George Washington, tops the one-dollar bill (AP)
Clinton and children’s stories
Thomas Jefferson’s post-presidential interests were directed towards educational affairs. He worked to establish the University of Virginia in 1819, which is still considered among the most important educational institutions in the world.
In contemporary history, in addition to the social and humanitarian activities to which he devoted part of his time, former US President Bill Clinton made a lot of money from the paid speeches he was invited to deliver. He also used his voice to record a children’s novel, winning a Grammy Award for his talent as a narrator in 2004. He won once more the following year, but this time it was for Clinton’s audio narration of his autobiography, “My Life.”
Former US President Bill Clinton in a reading session with children (YouTube)
The art of drawing with George Bush
His successor may not have earned money and awards thanks to his talent as happened with Clinton, but George W. Bush insisted on developing his passion for drawing despite a faltering start. After the end of his two presidential terms, in 2012, Bush joined a drawing class. He continued to use the brush and colors and enjoyed drawing himself and his political colleagues, such as Vladimir Putin and Tony Blair. Later, he was able to turn his first collection into a book that was published in 2017 and was a tribute to the American soldiers, entitled “Portraits of Courage.”
Vladimir Putin, Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger by George Bush (Instagram)
Previous British prime ministers did not focus on developing their talents, but rather invested in what filled their bank accounts. Perhaps Tony Blair is the most interested in this matter. The former British Prime Minister is known for his advisory tours and influential lectures for which he receives large sums of money.
British Prime Ministers and Business
Blair did not delay in charting the contours of his career following leaving 10 Downing Street in 2007. Only a few months had passed before he joined JPMorgan as a senior advisor. At the same time, he used his experience in the field of the environment as a consultant on climate change affairs alongside the Zurich Financial Services Corporation.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is among the most active politicians in business (Reuters)
Blair may be the most active among his political colleagues in the field of “business,” as he has never known retirement, and he filled the void with hundreds of lectures that he gave and is still giving around the world, receiving $250,000 for every 90 minutes of speech. He also went through the experience of university education in the subject “Faith and Globalization.”
Blair whetted the appetite of his successors, and former British Prime Minister David Cameron moved between several positions following his term. He headed social institutions, provided consultations to several companies, and taught political science at New York University in Abu Dhabi.
David Cameron held several advisory, administrative and educational positions following leaving his position as Prime Minister of Britain (Reuters)
Boris Johnson distinguished himself from his two colleagues and decided to enter the media experience, announcing his joining the family of the British newspaper “Daily Mail” as a columnist. Press information indicated that he receives a huge sum of money per article.
Johnson did not stop at the written press, but was seduced by the lights of television. In keeping with the general elections in the United Kingdom and the upcoming American presidential elections, Johnson appears preparing a program and political commentator on one of the British screens.
Gorbachev and pizza
Among the politicians who did not sit idly by following completing their duties was Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. The Russian leader never provided a job opportunity without taking advantage of it. He did not limit himself to giving lectures, but also extended his activity to filming television advertisements. He marketed for the international “Pizza Hut” restaurant chain, the Austrian Railways, in addition to the “Louis Vuitton” clothing and bags brand, and the “Apple” technology company.
Obama is a screen star
Returning to Obama’s post-presidential achievements, the former US president is preparing to compete for an Oscar during the next international film event. This appreciation did not come from nowhere, as Obama, who left the presidential seat while he was still at an age that allowed him to accomplish much, founded a production company with his wife, Michelle, that contracted with the Netflix platform in 2018.
The presidential duo did not waste their time, and Obama was not satisfied with the proceeds from his autobiography, which sold 10 million copies around the world. To date, only 5 years following signing the partnership agreement with Netflix, Obama’s company, Higher Ground Productions, has produced 17 works, ranging from films, documentaries, and series.
One of the documentary programs that Obama presented, which is produced by his company (Netflix).
The first of these works, “American Factory”, won the Oscar for best “documentary” in 2020. The film deals with the opening of his own factory in Ohio, USA, in the place of an abandoned General Motors factory. He employs hundreds of Americans in a step that raises hope, before the clash between the two cultures occurs.
As for First Lady Michelle Obama, she had the experience of presenting in a cooking program for children. Among the films and documentaries with social and humanitarian messages, the Obama duo allocated space for purposeful animation, some of which focused on teaching children the principles of American civil rights.
Since the talent for presenting apparently runs in the veins of the presidential family, Obama lent his vote to the documentary “Our Great National Parks,” which toured the most beautiful natural sites around the world, from Chile to Japan, through Kenya, Indonesia and other countries. The program won an Emmy Award for Best Narrator for Obama in 2022.
And now the Obama Company is on a new date with the international awards, as the movie “American Symphony” that it produced is nominated for an Oscar in the Best Song category.
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