YOU KNOW HIM FROM HIS NETFLIX DEAL, BUT I KNOW HIM AS THE

44th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, BARACK OBAMA.

ALL RIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BOOK.

>> YES, THANK YOU.

>> Stephen: BY THE WAY.

IT IS-- I'M SORRY.

THIS IS-- I JUST CARRY IT WITH ME EVERYWHERE I GO.

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

BECAUSE THIS IS A GOOD BOOK.

>> IT'S A GREAT BOOK.

>> Stephen: 10 MILLION COPIES.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: HARD TO BEAT.

THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY HARD TO BEAT.

YOU'RE NOT A COMPETITIVE GUY.

>> I'VE ALREADY WAVED THE WHITE FLAG.

>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.

>> COME ON, MAN.

>> Stephen: I DO WANT TO POINT OUT--

>> ANY ILLUSION THAT I MIGHT CATCH UP, IT TURNS OUT THAT NOW

THAT MY BOOK IS SELLING.

>> Stephen: YES.

>> THEY ALL PACKAGE IT WITH HER BOOK SO SHE KEEPS ON SELLING

MORE, SO I CAN'T-- IT'S-- IT'S HOPELESS.

>> Stephen: BY THE WAY, I AM ENJOYING --

>> THANK YOU.

>> Stephen: "A PROMISED LAND."

ORIGINALLY YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE DONE IN ABOUT TWO YEARS, I

THINK.

AND ABOUT 500 PAGES.

IT'S FOUR YEARS.

IT'S 758 PAGES.

AND IT'S ONLY VOLUME ONE.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: OKAY, WHO WILL BE FINISHED FIRST, YOU OR GEORGE

R.R. MARTIN?

>> FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW THE REFERENCE, "GAME UPON

THRONS."

>> Stephen: EVERYONE KNOWS THE REFERENCE.

>> DO THEY.

>> Stephen: MORE PEOPLE FROM READ HIS BOOKS.

I'M SORRY.

VERY POPULAR.

>> THE DIFFERENCE IS BY THE TIME THERE'S A TV SHOW ABOUT THIS, I

WILL HAVE FINISHED.

>> Stephen: IN THE BOOK YOU ACTUALLY INVESTIGATED THE IDEA,

EXPLORED THE IDEA OF RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, EVEN TALKED TO SOME

PEOPLE ABOUT IT, BEFORE YOU MENTIONED IT TO YOUR WIFE.

FIRST QUESTION: WHAT?

AND FOLLOW-UP: WOW.

AND THEN YOU SAY, "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT?

IF YOU SAY NO, IT'S NO."

AND SHE SAYS NO.

AND THEN YOU KEEP GOING.

( LAUGHING ) YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH THAT.

THAT'S A BESTSALER.

HOW DID YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT?

AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

>> CLEARLY, I WAS NOT THINKING.

WELL, AS I DESCRIBE, THE WAY THAT THE CONVERSATION AROUND ME

RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT HAPPENS-- AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT

OF FOLKS WHO THINK, 'AH, THIS IS ALL NONSENSE, HE'S NOT PLAYING

IT STRAIGHT.

' BUT THE FRIEND OF MINE AND STAFF WILL CONFIRM THIS-- WE

WERE FIRM ABOUT ME NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT BECAUSE I HAD JUST

BEEN ELECTED TO THE U.S. SENATE.

AND THE NOTION THAT I WAS SOMEHOW GOING TO MAKE THIS LEAP

TWO YEARS LATER INTO LAUNCHING A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN DID NOT

MAKE SENSE.

BUT PARTLY BECAUSE I WAS, YOU KNOW, THE NEW SHINY OBJECT, AND,

YOU KNOW, THE PRESS WAS SORT OF FASCINATED, INTRIGUED WITH ME AS

THE ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN IN THE SENATE.

I HAD GIVEN THE SPEECH AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.

YOU GET THIS CHATTER.

AND I KEEP ON GETTING ASKED ABOUT IT, AND WE'RE REBUFFING

IT, ET CETERA.

BUT IT STARTS TAKING ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN, AND THERE COMES A

POINT AT WHICH I START HAVING SERIOUS CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW,

WITH HARRY REID AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE SERIOUS LEADERS OF THE

PARTY SAYING, "YOU REALLY SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT."

AND IT IS AT THAT POINT THAT I DO GO TO TALK TO MICHELLE ABOUT

IT.

AND SHE DOES-- HER INITIAL RESPONSE IS NO.

BUT WHAT I SAID TO HER AS WE STILL NEED TO THINK THROUGH ALL

THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF IT.

AND IF AT THE END OF THAT, YOU STILL SAY NO, THEN IT'S NO.

AND SHE SORT OF CHANGED HER MIND, KIND OF.

>> Stephen: I'VE READ IT.

SHE DOES.

>> BUT WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE IS-- AND I'VE NEVER FULLY GOTTEN

OUT OF THE DOG HOUSE FOR THIS-- IS THAT I PUT HER AND OUR KIDS

THROUGH AN EXTRAORDINARILY STRESSFUL, DIFFICULT SEQUENCE IN

DECIDING TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT RIGHT AFTER I HAD JUST GONE

THROUGH A TOUGH RACE.

AND, YOU KNOW, MICHELLE STAYED ANGRY AT ME ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW.

IT WOULD FLARE UP EVERY SO OFTEN, BUT SHE STAYED MAD ABOUT

IT THROUGH ALL EIGHT YEARS.

AND THERE WAS A LITTLE CARRYOVER OF THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF TAIL

AFTER THAT, AND I THINK WE'VE-- YOU KNOW, SHE FINALLY SORT OF

FORGAVE ME UNTIL THIS INTERVIEW IN WHICH CASE I THINK IT'S

BROUGHT UP ALL THESE BAD MEMORIES.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE WELCOME.

>> AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M GOING TO BE FACING WHEN I

GET HOME.

>> Stephen: YOU WRITE THIS IN THE BOOK, "THIS IS, I WAS COMING

TO REALIZE, WAS THE NATURE OF THE PRESIDENCY.

SOMETIMES YOUR MOST IMPORTANT WORK INVOLVED THE STUFF NOBODY

NOTICED."

WHAT'S SOMETHING NOBODY STILL HASN'T NOTICED THAT YOU GUYS

DID?

I'M SORRY, I HAD TO SPEED IT UP RAY LITTLE BIT THERE.

WE ONLY HAVE AN HOUR.

GO AHEAD.

>> BY THE WAY, IF THAT WAS AN IMITATION OF ME, THAT WAS

TERRIBLE.

>> Stephen: I PLAY YOUR BOOK BACK RIGHT NOW AND SHOW YOU

THAT'S HOW SLOWLY YOU READ YOUR BOOK, SIR.

>> IT MIGHT BE THAT SLOW, BUT IT SOUNDS SO MUCH BETTER WHEN I DO

IT.

ANYWAY -- >> Stephen: I'LL GRANT YOU

THAT.

>> WE'LL MOVE ON.

>> Stephen: I'LL GRANT YOU THAT.

>> HERE'S A GOOD ONE.

APPLIANCES.

YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THIS MUCH.

>> Stephen: I DID NOT.

>> OVER THE COURSE OF MY PRESIDENCY, BECAUSE OF NEW RULES

FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLIANCES, TAKING MILLIONS OF METRIC TONS

OF GREENHOUSE GASES OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE, THE EQUIVALENT OF

TAKING 20 MILLION AUTOMOBILES OFF THE ROAD ANNUALLY, BECAUSE,

YOU KNOW, YOUR FRIDGE RUNS A LITTLE BIT BETTER, OR YOUR

WASHER-DRYER.

AND I WOULD INCLUDE, BY THE WAY, PREPARATIONS ON THINGS LIKE

PANDEMIC, IF YOU WERE ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO IT.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE KIND OF STUFF THAT IF YOU'RE DOING IT

RIGHT, PEOPLE DON'T NOTICE.

BUT IF YOU SCREW UP, THEN IT'S BAD.

>> Stephen: LET'S TAKE ANOTHER QUICK BREAK.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.