Chicago mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is set to take office next month, and he says he received some advice from arguably the most famous living politician who hails from the city.
Johnson was speaking at an event Thursday when he revealed the somewhat-surprising guidance he was given by former President Barack Obama, who along with former first lady Michelle Obama famously raised two daughters while serving his two terms in the Oval Office.
“We spent a lot of time talking about our families,” Johnson said. “Here’s someone that was president of the United States, was an organizer and worked as a legislator, (but) he raised his family too.”
That wasn’t the only household-happiness advice the former president gave Johnson.
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“His advice to me was to make sure that you spend as much time with the kids as possible, and to take the trash out,” he said.
The counsel echoes what earlier reports had indicated about the conversation between the two men. According to Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, Obama called Johnson after his victory earlier this month, giving him advice on family and also “offering assistance and support” as the new mayor takes office.
Johnson has two sons and a daughter with his wife Stacie, and has said he still plans to take as active a role as he can in their lives even as he moves into his offices at City Hall.
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The new mayor-elect will take the oath of office on May 15.
