Politics

The Embarrassing Moment That Made Obama Want To Quit Politics

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Kaitlan Collins Contributor
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Barack Obama nearly quit politics once.

Barack Obama

(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The president revealed an embarrassing moment when he had his credit card declined while on the way to the Democratic National Convention in 2000.

He had recently drained his bank account on a campaign for a congressional Democratic primary race, which he lost, and couldn’t afford to rent a car when he arrived in Los Angeles for the convention. Michelle was pregnant with their second daughter, Sasha, at the time.

“I get to the hotel where my friend is ready to go and we go over to the convention and they give me the pass that basically only allows you to be in the halls,” Obama said during an interview with David Axelrod.

“The ring around the auditorium doesn’t actually allow you to see anything.” (RELATED: Barack Obama Needs Time To Think About Himself Once He’s Out Of Office)

(Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

(Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Obama said he was repeatedly turned down from entering parties while he was at the convention because the bouncers didn’t know his name and couldn’t recognize his face.

“I felt as if I was a third wheel in this whole thing,” Obama said.

“I ended up leaving early, and that was the stage when I was really questioning whether I should be in politics.”