President obama how old is he

He attended the Punahou School, an elite private school where, as he wrote in his memoir, Dreams from My Father , he first began to understand the tensions inherent in his mixed racial background. After two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, he transferred to Columbia University in New York City, from which he graduated in with a degree in political science.

He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in Despite tight Republican control during his years in the state senate, Obama was able to build support among both Democrats and Republicans in drafting legislation on ethics and health care reform. He helped create a state earned-income tax credit that benefited the working poor, promoted subsidies for early childhood education programs and worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

Re-elected in and again in , Obama also ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the U. House of Representatives seat held by the popular four-term incumbent Bobby Rush. As a state senator, Obama notably went on record as an early opponent of President George W. When Republican Peter Fitzgerald announced that he would vacate his U. Senate seat in after only one term, Obama decided to run.

He won 52 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, defeating both multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes. After his original Republican opponent in the general election, Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race, the former presidential candidate Alan Keyes stepped in.

It put the relatively unknown, young senator in the national spotlight. Senate since Reconstruction. During his tenure, Obama notably focused on issues of nuclear non-proliferation and the health threat posed by avian flu. He partnered with another Republican, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana , on a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia.

In August , Obama traveled to Kenya, where thousands of people lined the streets to welcome him. He published his second book, The Audacity of Hope , in October On February 10, , Obama formally announced his candidacy for president of the United States.

A victory in the Iowa primary made him a viable challenger to the early frontrunner, the former first lady and current New York Senator Hillary Clinton , whom he outlasted in a grueling primary campaign to claim the Democratic nomination in early June Obama chose Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Biden had been a U. They worked to bring new voters—many of them young or Black, both demographics they believed favored Obama—to become involved in the election. With several weeks remaining, most polls showed Obama as the frontrunner.

On November 4, lines at polling stations around the nation heralded a historic turnout and resulted in a Democratic victory, with Obama capturing some Republican strongholds Virginia , Indiana and key battleground states Florida , Ohio that had been won by Republicans in recent elections. Marian stayed home to raise Michelle and her older brother Craig, skillfully managing a busy household filled with love, laughter, and important life lessons.

After a few years, Mrs. Obama decided her true calling was working with people to serve their communities and their neighbors.

She served as assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago's City Hall before becoming the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service. In , Mrs. Obama joined the University of Chicago with a vision of bringing campus and community together. As Associate Dean of Student Services, she developed the university's first community service program, and under her leadership as Vice President of Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center, volunteerism skyrocketed.

Obama has continued her efforts to support and inspire young people during her time as First Lady. House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush.

Undeterred, he created a campaign committee in and began raising funds to run for a seat in the U. Senate in With the help of political consultant David Axelrod, Obama began assessing his prospects for a Senate win. Bush's push to go to war with Iraq. Obama was still a state senator when he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq during a rally at Chicago's Federal Plaza in October I'm opposed to dumb wars," he said.

Encouraged by poll numbers, Obama decided to run for the U. Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald in the Democratic primary. He defeated multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes with 52 percent of the vote. That summer, he was invited to deliver the keynote speech in support of John Kerry at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Obama emphasized the importance of unity and made veiled jabs at the Bush administration and the diversionary use of wedge issues. After the convention, Obama returned to his U. Senate bid in Illinois.

His opponent in the general election was supposed to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June following public disclosure of unsubstantiated sexual deviancy allegations by his ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan. In August , diplomat and former presidential candidate Alan Keyes accepted the Republican nomination to replace Ryan. In three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts.

In the November general election, Obama received 70 percent of the vote to Keyes' 27 percent, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history. With his win, Obama became only the third African American elected to the U.

Senate since Reconstruction. Sworn into office on January 3, , Obama partnered with Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana on a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Then, with Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, he created a website to track all federal spending. Obama also spoke out for victims of Hurricane Katrina, pushed for alternative energy development and championed improved veterans' benefits. The work discussed Obama's visions for the future of America, many of which became talking points for his eventual presidential campaign. Shortly after its release, the book hit No. In February , Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

He was locked in a tight battle with former first lady and then-U. On June 3, , Obama became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee after winning a sufficient number of pledged delegates during the primaries, and Clinton delivered her full support to Obama for the duration of his campaign.

His running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden , became vice president. Obama's inauguration took place on January 20, When Obama took office, he inherited a global economic recession, two ongoing foreign wars and the lowest-ever international favorability rating for the United States. He had campaigned on an ambitious agenda of financial reform, alternative energy and reinventing education and health care — all while bringing down the national debt. Because these issues were intertwined with the economic well-being of the nation, he believed all would have to be undertaken simultaneously.

During his inauguration speech, Obama summarized the situation by saying, "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met. Between Inauguration Day and April 29, , the Obama administration took action on many fronts. In his first days in office, Obama coaxed Congress to expand health care insurance for children and provide legal protection for women seeking equal pay.

Housing and credit markets were put on life support, with a market-based plan to buy U. Loans were made to the auto industry, and new regulations were proposed for Wall Street. Obama cut taxes for working families, small businesses and first-time home buyers.

Obama undertook a complete overhaul of America's foreign policy. He lobbied allies to support a global economic stimulus package. He committed an additional 21, troops to Afghanistan and set an August date for withdrawal of nearly all U.

In more dramatic incidents, Obama ordered an attack on pirates off the coast of Somalia and prepared the nation for a swine flu outbreak. He signed an executive order banning excessive interrogation techniques and ordered the closing of the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba within a year a deadline that ultimately would not be met. As he did in , during his campaign for a second presidential term, Obama focused on grassroots initiatives.

Celebrities such as Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica Parker aided the president's campaign by hosting fundraising events. And we'll remind the world just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth. Representative Paul Ryan. On November 6, , Obama won a second four-year term as president by receiving nearly five million more votes than Romney and capturing more than 60 percent of the Electoral College.

Obama officially began his second term on January 21, , when U. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office. In his inaugural address, Obama called the nation to action on such issues as climate change, health care and marriage equality to a crowd gathered in front of the U.

Capitol building. In November , Obama had to cope with new challenges on the home front. Republicans made an impressive showing on Election Day and gained a majority in the Senate, meaning that Obama would have to contend with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress for the final two years of his term.

On May 2, , an elite team of U. There were no American casualties, and the team was able to collect invaluable intelligence about the workings of al-Qaeda. Obama found himself grappling with an international crisis in late August and September when it was discovered that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons against civilians. While saying that thousands of people, including over children, had been killed in the chemical attacks, Obama called Syria's actions "a serious national security threat to the United States and to the region, and as a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable.

The president worked to persuade Congress and the international community at large to take action against Syria but found a majority on Capitol Hill opposed to military involvement. Obama then announced an alternative solution on September 10, , by stating that if al-Assad agreed with the stipulations outlined in a proposal made by Russia to give up its chemical weapons, then a direct strike against the nation could be avoided.

Al-Assad acknowledged the possession of chemical weapons and ultimately accepted the Russian proposal. In September , Obama made diplomatic strides with Iran. He spoke with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the phone, which marked the first direct contact between the leaders of the two countries in more than 30 years. This groundbreaking move by Obama was seen by many as a sign of thawing in the relationship between the United States and Iran.

In July , Obama announced that, after lengthy negotiations, the United States and five world powers had reached an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program. The deal would allow inspectors entry into Iran to make sure the country kept its pledge to limit its nuclear program and enrich uranium at a much lower level than would be needed for a nuclear weapon.

In return, the U. In , President Donald Trump, Obama's successor who was elected in November , withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal put in place by Obama.

He argued, with some evidence, that the country was exploiting the terms of the deal to build up its military and militias in the region, and that it would emerge with greater resources to make a nuclear weapon once the deal expired.

Iran responded by gradually increasing its uranium enrichment. In mid, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran had surpassed the uranium enrichment levels agreed on in , bringing the nation closer to the development of an atomic bomb.

European countries might in turn restore their own sanctions. Experts say the moves could push the U. Echoes of the Cold War also returned after civil unrest and protests in the capital city of Kiev led to the downfall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's administration in February Russian troops crossed into Ukraine to support pro-Russian forces and the annexation of the province of Crimea.

In response, Obama ordered sanctions targeting individuals and businesses considered by the U. The president said the sanctions were taken in close coordination with European allies and gave the U. The following month, the U. Several Arab countries joined the airstrikes against the extremist Islamic militant group. Obama flexed his presidential power in December by moving to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years.

He and Cuban president Raul Castro announced the normalizing of diplomatic relations for the first time since The policy change came after the exchange of American citizen Alan Gross and another unnamed American intelligence agent for three Cuban spies.

In a speech at the White House, Obama explained that the dramatic shift in Cuban policy would "create more opportunities for the American and Cuban people and begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas. In renewing diplomatic ties with Cuba, Obama announced plans "to increase travel, commerce and the flow of information to and from Cuba.

On March 20, , Obama became the first sitting American president to visit Cuba since as part of his larger program to establish greater cooperation between the two countries. Obama made the three-day visit with Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha.

At the top of the agenda during the milestone meeting between the two leaders were human rights, the U. Following their first conversation at the Palace of the Revolution, Castro and Obama held a joint press conference broadcast on state television during which they fielded questions from the press. While they acknowledged its complexities, both also professed a shared optimism about the road ahead.

Travel to Cuba from the United States began to surge, with the U. In June , President Trump banned ship and commercial airline travel into Cuba. The restrictions effectively banned all tourist travel to Cuba by prohibiting people-to-people educational travel. The Trump administration said the move was in an effort to pressure the Cuban government to stop supporting Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Experts said it could cripple the economy and might therefore be an attempt to overthrow the regime of President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the hand-picked successor of Fidel Castro who took office in According to several news reports, Obama and Modi had reached a "breakthrough understanding" regarding India's nuclear power efforts.

Obama told the Indian people in a speech given in New Delhi that "we can finally move toward fully implementing our civil nuclear agreement, which will mean more reliable electricity for Indians and cleaner, non-carbon energy that helps fight climate change.

Osan was the final destination on his first tour of Asia as President. In spite of opposition from Congressional Republicans and the populist Tea Party movement, Obama signed his health care reform plan, known as the Affordable Care Act, into law in March The new law prohibited the denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, allowed citizens under 26 years old to be insured under parental plans, provided for free health screenings for certain citizens and expanded insurance coverage and access to medical care to millions of Americans.

Obama gained a legal victory in June when the U. In October , a dispute over the federal budget and Republican desires to defund or derail the Affordable Care Act caused a day shutdown of the federal government.