President Obama teared up for the second time this week while giving a thank you speech to his campaign staff after securing his second term in the White House.
On Monday night in Iowa Obama’s tears marked the end of a long journey that would give him and Joe Biden another four years to fulfill their mission of moving the country forward. But despite Obama’s tears and apparent ease of showing emotion it was his daughters Sasha and Malia that grabbed the post-election spotlight. What will come of Sasha, 11 and Malia, 14 in the next four years? Dates, college applications and perhaps some public appearances on behalf of the white house?
“It’s a tough issue,” Bob Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University told ABCNews.com. “There is a sense that if a president has young children, those children didn’t sign on to be president. Even though he is the ultimate in public figures, the kids are in a difficult territory.”
Malia, who stands nearly face to face with her mother and her sister are being watched from their choice in outfits to their demeanor while out with their parents. But as the president points out there are perks to being the first daughters,
“I have men with guns that surround them [Sasha and Malia] — often. And a great incentive for running for re-election is that it means they never get in the car with a boy who had a beer. And that’s a pretty good thing!”
Another reward? Malia’s choice in colleges in the next three to four years.
“If Malia Obama sends her resume to some place or applies to college, people are going to pay attention in a way that they wouldn’t with anyone else,” added Thompson. Indeed.
In the midst of the increased public attention on Sasha and Malia, their mom Michelle has made it her job to protect them.
“At the end of the day, my most important title is still ‘mom in chief.’ My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world.”
More photos of Sasha and Malia
Video: Obama tears ups
