Usually, it’s satisfying to discover that celebs are just like us. Like that time Emma Stone cried at the mere sound of singer Mel B’s speaking voice, or when Julia Roberts discussed the first time she used liquid eyeliner (spoiler: She nearly went blind). Even when celebrities marry non-celebs, we take it as a win for us.
Repeatedly being harassed, however, is an unfortunate situation many of us have experienced, but wish upon no one — least of all 18-year old Malia Obama.
According to the New York Daily News, Obama’s temporary secret service security may have to be extended permanently due to a stalker. On April 10, the former First Daughter was working at her Tribeca-based internship when a man named Jair Nilton Cardoso entered the building, shouting marriage proposals. Her secret service detail immediately detained the 30-year-old. That didn’t stop him from returning days later to another building where Obama was interning; he was detained again. This isn’t the first or even second time Cardoso has harassed the teen. He’s also made attempts to get into the White House.
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After the second incident this month, agents took the matter much more seriously and interviewed the man at his home in Brooklyn. They concluded he needed psychiatric assistance and took him to the hospital.
Stalking is a serious offense, although sadly it often takes multiple attempts (aka more threats) before a stalker is taken seriously. After all, this man already showed up to the White House — and it still took two incidents in another state for agents to “evaluate him.” With Obama’s plans for a gap year and then Harvard, here’s hoping agents ensure there won't be any repeats of these dangerous approaches when she's off on her own.
Despite the eldest daughter of the Obama family rapidly approaching the end of her teen years, her mom isn’t ready to let her “baby” go. “She’s still a baby,” Michelle Obama said in a People magazine interview. “She’s a grown woman,” former president Barack replied.