Reggie Love, who was then-Senator Obama’s personal aide through the campaign and then through the first years of his presidency, has written a tell-all book called Power Forward: My Presidential Education.
One of the more interesting stories, it seems, is the president’s particularity about his feet, especially his footwear. “Shoes were always the biggest challenge for the senator. The man was particular about his feet. He wouldn’t just throw on any old pair of mukluks. They had to look a certain way, feel a certain way. Anytime he couldn’t wear his favored dress flats, it was an issue,” Love writes.
The president’s foot fixation even came up when Beyoncé and Jay-Z met with him in New York. Beyonce mentioned that her feet were killing her, and the president suggested a foot massage.
“That must be in the budget for the tour production,” Obama joked.”And Jay said, ‘Yeah, so long as it isn’t a man.'”
Unsurprisingly, the president was also strict about his diet, and restrictions included “No gum wrapped in tiny papers. No energy bars with fruits. Salads only in emergencies. … Nothing battered or fried.”
At another time, on the campaign trail, Love related a time when the president joked about visiting a strip club. NBA player Charles Barkley had mentioned that he wanted to “hang out,” so the then-Senator joked, “Let’s just take tomorrow off and go to the Cheetah Club [a famous gentlemen’s club].”
In all, the book speaks fondly of the president, with Love developing a close personal relationship with his boss that allowed him to joke around. At one point, Love relates a story in which he brought a woman back to his room on the campaign trail, only for Obama to walk in that morning using the Secret Service master key to announce, “Hey, Reggie, we need to go over the schedule.”
After noticing the woman, he quickly apologized and rushed out.
Later, when Obama was arguing with staff over campaign details, Love tried to lighten the mood by saying, “You know, sir, if it’s any consolation, I’m having the time of my life.”
The senator’s response? “Well, Reggie, it’s actually not a consolation to me that my campaign for president can help subsidize your love life.”