When former president Barack Obama returned to the White House, he spoke out strongly in favor of President Joe Biden, who had been his vice president for eight years.
The first time Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama visited 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue together since they left to accompany Donald Trump to the Capitol on Inauguration Day in January 2017, on Wednesday to reveal their official White House portraits. Obama had previously visited in April for a celebration, honoring the Affordable Care Act's first anniversary. This was his second trip back this year.
Official Portraits of Barack, Michelle Obama Unveiled at White House
The White House portraits of former presidents are often unveiled by their immediate successors; however even though both Barack Obama's and Michelle Obama's portraits were finished during his time, Donald Trump's successor never planned a ceremony to do so, as per Independent.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden gathered a who's who of administration officials past and present - from the unique vantage point of having served in both - for a rare occasion to celebrate two presidential administrations on Wednesday in the East Room.
The works are the first official portraits added to the White House Collection since then-President Obama hosted a bipartisan unveiling event for George W. Bush and Laura Bush in 2012. They will hang within the White House for decades to come.
In his remarks during the unveiling, President Joe Biden reflected on the Obamas' successes while serving as the nation's first family and noted that they created history. Following a standing ovation for Biden, the former President addressed the crowd in the East Room, saying, "Thanks to your decency and thanks to your strength - perhaps most of all thanks to your faith in democracy and the American people - the country is better off than when you took office, and we should all be deeply grateful for that."
The COVID-19 pandemic, according to WHHA President Stewart McLaurin, was a role in the timing of the unveiling. The portraits are made possible and funded by the WHHA, a nonprofit organization, according to CBS News.
Barack Obama Recently Congratulated Biden on Inflation Reduction Act
Since Jimmy Carter extended an invitation to Gerald Ford to return to the White House in 1978, almost every president in office has hosted a portrait unveiling ceremony for his immediate predecessor, regardless of party, which frequently serves as a platform for goodwill between the two political parties. When George W. Bush visited Obama, he joked that Obama might now look at his photo and think to himself, "What would George do? ".
It seems doubtful that President Joe Biden will preside over the unveiling of the former president's portrait because former President Donald Trump broke with convention by organizing Wednesday's event. The National Portrait Gallery revealed earlier portraits of the Obamas in February 2018, one of which featured the arresting picture of the former president floating amid a sea of leaves by Kehinde Wiley. The Wednesday portraits that were unveiled will be displayed within the White House.
Barack Obama also has three fundraisers scheduled this month. He will appear in New York City with Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) to raise money for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in San Diego with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and in San Francisco for the Democratic National Committee. Throughout Biden's presidency, Obama and Biden kept in touch. According to Obama advisers, Biden's recent streak of legislative victories, which he perceives as somewhat building on his own, has pleased the former president.
Barack Obama contacted Biden to congratulate him on the Inflation Reduction Act's passing, according to an Obama adviser, and that was when the two men last spoke, The Washington Post via MSN reported. During a Wednesday ceremony to unveil Barack Obama's portrait in the White House, the former president lauded Joe Biden's work performance.
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