Obama names his favorite conspiracy theory about himself
There are plenty of crazy stories about President Obama that have circulated on the Internet and beyond, but the president said there's one he finds particularly amusing.
Asked to name the most entertaining Obama conspiracy theory, Mr. Obama said to GQ Magazine: "That military exercises we were doing in Texas were designed to begin martial law so that I could usurp the Constitution and stay in power longer. Anybody who thinks I could get away with telling Michelle I'm going to be president any longer than eight years does not know my wife."
The president was referring to the anxious speculation surrounding "Jade Helm 15," a three-month long military training exercise that took place earlier this year, spanning seven states. Some in Texas grew concerned the Obama administration was planning to "take over" the state after some conservative websites seized on an Army map that labeled Texas and Utah has "hostile" for the purposes of the simulation.
Of course, the federal government would never launch a "military takeover" of a state because federal law already -- in all cases -- trumps state law. Even so, concerns were so widespread that a group of Texans came together to monitor the military exercises. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott added fuel to the fire by ordering the state's National Guard to monitor the exercises as well.
While Mr. Obama told GQ that he could never get away with staying in the White House for a third term, he did suggest he'd enjoy entering the 2016 race: "I would've enjoyed campaigning against Trump. That would've been fun," he said.
Mr. Obama talked about both his personal and professional life in the far-ranging interview, and he talked about how the two intersect. For instance, when out on a date with First Lady Michelle Obama, the president revealed there are a only a few people whose call he would take:
"Malia and Sasha," he said. "And maybe my mother-in-law. My national security adviser, Susan Rice, and Denis McDonough, my chief of staff. Those are the only people whose call I would take during a date night with Michelle."
The president said that no young men have come to the White House to pick up his older daughter Malia Obama for a date, "but I've seen some folks glancing at her in ways that made me not happy."
Mr. Obama also noted that he hasn't smoked a cigarette in the last five years. "I made a promise that once health care passed, I would never have a cigarette again. And I have not."
