Obama says his 'personal feelings' on gay marriage were always different than his 'position'

President Obama.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In an interview with BuzzFeed editor in chief Ben Smith, President Obama sheds some light on David Axelrod's suggestion that Obama was "bullshitting" the nation with his gay marriage stance.

Obama tells Smith, "I think David is mixing up my personal feelings with my position on the issue." He explains that while he always thought same-sex couple should be given "the same rights" as everyone else, he also wanted to appease "religious sensitivities," so he supported civil unions instead of gay marriage:

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.