Former House Speaker John Boehner describes how Obama struggled with smoking and was 'scared to death' of Michelle

• Former House Speaker John Boehner said that former President Barack Obama is "scared to death" of his wife Michelle.
• For that reason, Obama maintains that he has not smoked a cigarette in years.
• But maybe he did though.

---

Former House Speaker John Boehner shed some light on former President Barack Obama's smoking habit and his relationship with his wife Michelle in a new interview.

Boehner told Politico about his encounters with Obama in a major interview detailing his 25 years at the top of the Republican party in Washington.

Boehner summarized the differences between himself and Obama with an anecdote from a 2011 meeting between the two when it came to their vices.

"I'm smoking a cigarette, and they bring me a glass of merlot. And we're sitting there a little while, and here's the president drinking iced tea and chomping on Nicorette," Boehner told Politico.

"What else do you need to know about the two of us?"

In February 2011, Michelle Obama, a champion of healthy living during her time as First Lady, announced that her husband had quit smoking for more than a year.

Nicorette gum is used to alleviate cravings for cigarettes, which typically stop two weeks after quitting smoking.

Despite this time discrepancy, Boehner says he never saw the president sneak a cigarette, and credits that to his fear of Michelle.

Asked whether he had ever seen Obama succumb, Boehner said: "Oh no. No no no. He's scared to death of his wife. Scared. To. Death."

In 2014, musician Billy Joel claimed Obama offered him a cigarette at the White House, but the President's office shot down the claim as "ludicrous."

In 2013, Obama was caught on an open microphone at the United Nations General Assembly discussing his smoking habit.

"I haven't had a cigarette in six years... that's because I'm scared of my wife," said Obama.

Read the full interview with Politico here.