i also have to say that there is young people out there who whether or not i choose to be a role model for them, they are seeking guidance and so i tried to do my job as best as i could and pretty much focused on the work in front of me and that was the greatest lesson for me. desiree barnes, good to see you. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for having me. next, why the democratic candidate for georgia governor is stopping short of calling her republican opponents legitimate.
said when they go low, we go high. i think that that speaks to her character and just how much of a class act she is. but i will say you know, it s hard to exercise that kind of restraint. i m very aware as like a woman of color that however i approach a situation could have the, you know, the opportunity to overshadow what it is that the end result i m looking to achieve. and so i have to be very mindful of my presence and my words. but it is extremely frustrating when you have those out there who don t believe in telling the truth. desiree, i want to play another clip from this interview with oprah. here it is. did you feel the pressure being the first black family because you know duh. duh. because we ve all been raised with you ve got to work twice hard, got to work twice as hard to get half as far.
security and to know that we have shootings anyway, and to know that my children every day had to go to a school that was guarded but not secure, that they had to go to soccer games and parties and travel and go to college, that this person would not take into account that this is not a game is something that i want the country to understand. you know, i want the country to take this in in a way that i didn t say out loud but i m saying it now. it was reckless and it put my family in danger and it wasn t true. and he knew it wasn t true. the former first lady there speaking to oprah. i want to bring in now former obama administration aide desiree barnes. hi, desiree. good to see you. good to see you too, don. so you saw that. what did you think of what she said? because you were in the white house during much of this time.
i might even get sasha to do it. you got free time? i think you would do a great job. it s not going to be her running for office any time soon. what does it have on the obama legacy? on the current state of politics. desiree barnes is a former obama administration aide. great to see you. you started working for michelle obama as an intern at 19 years old. you served the entire administration. the reporting has always been she was reluctant to have her family in the public eye. how do you think her time in the public eye changed her view on politics? i think she has been able to have and experience up close an advantage point to a front row seat in history. i think that s something she has
because robert beggibbs pulled aside as the returns were coming in to tell me he wanted me to come work with him at the white house. i m only here because jay carney, jennifer palmeri and dan pfeiffer ep zurjed me when i was the deputy and advocated for me when jay stepped down. i have also benefitted from kitchen cabinet of senior white house officials who got a lot of other important responsibilities who are part of their formal job description, but stepped in to help me out every time i asked for it. that people like dennis mcdonough and susan rice and jennifer saki, melissa alanne, jesse lee and cody keenan and ben rhodes. i have been able to do this job because i have an incredible team around me. my assistants, ben tiller, and now desiree barnes all patiently supported a guy who, let s face it, sometimes isn t so easy to assist. the white house stenographers, dominique danske barry, amy