Barack Obama reveals why daughter Malia has dropped famous last name

Malia Obama made waves earlier this year after dropping her famous last name in a professional setting. Former US President Barack Obama however remains unfazed by the decision — revealing during a recent podcast that both his daughters were determined to succeed on their own terms.
The 26-year-old filmmaker had released her directorial debut — a short film called The Heart — during the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. She used the name Malia Ann for the end credits with naysayers claiming that it was an attempt to shield herself from the “nepotism” tag.
“She didn’t use Obama. On the credits, it said Malia Ann. I was like: ‘You do know they’ll know who you are?’ 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,” the former president noted during an interview on The Pivot Podcast.
The former POTUS said that both Malia and 23-year-old Sasha were determined to make their own way in life without leveraging their powerful parents and connections.
“The challenge for [Michelle and me] is letting us give them any help at all. I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it,” he added.
The former POTUS and First Lady are currently busy on the campaign trail as they bat for Kamala Harris to become the next US President. Barack and Michelle Obama — considered unwaveringly popular and seen as “cool” leaders — have thrown both their political weight and star power behind Kamala Harris in recent weeks. The former POTUS has specifically honed his campaign efforts towards Black men in in the final stretch of the US election as polls suggested they are more likely to vote for Trump than in 2020.
Obama had made history in 2008 after being elected as the first Black president of the United States. The election of Harris to the White House would be a similarly historic occasion — making her the first woman and person of Asian descent (she is half Black and half Indian) to hold the post.
(With inputs from agencies)