Barack Obama shared his reaction to his daughter Malia dropping her last name for her directorial debut.

The former president said he warned her that dropping her name would not hide her connection to her famous parents.

“Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals and she didn’t use Obama as a director in the credits,” he said at the press conference. Tuesday’s episode of the “Pivot” podcast.

“I was like, ‘You know they’ll know who you are.'”

He then explained that Malia wanted audiences to watch her film, “The Heart,” without having the connection to the Obama family in mind.

“And she says, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it for the first time and not have that association in any way,” Barack, 63, said.

The proud father of two – who also shares daughter Sasha, 23, with his wife Michelle Obama – further explained that his daughters are not interested in using their status to get ahead.

“I think our girls are doing everything they can to not try to exploit that,” he said.

THE “A Promised Land” The author also said his daughters didn’t want him or Michelle, 60, to give them a head start in their careers.

“The challenge for us is to be able to provide any assistance to them,” Barack said. “I mean, they’re very sensitive about it. They are very stubborn about it.

“View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg came to Malia’s defense earlier this year after the 26-year-old credited herself with the name “Malia Ann” for her directorial debut.

“Apparently some people online are criticizing her for this, saying everyone knows she’s an Obama, so there’s no point in hiding it,” Goldberg, 68, said on the talk show in February.

“If she knows she’s Obama, why do you care?” Why do you care what it’s called? she continued.

“If she wanted to be called Jeanette MacDonald, she has the right to do so!” If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever she wants to be!

Malia more recently made an appearance on the red carpet at the Deauville American Cinema Festival in September to promote the short film.

She wore a Vivienne Westwood plaid ensemble consisting of the brand’s Sunday corset and an asymmetrical maxi skirt.

Malia accessorized the look with black knee-high leather boots and hoop earrings.

While on the event’s red carpet, she admitted that she “didn’t know a lot about fashion” but was “happy to wear” the designer’s outfit.