Former US President Barack Obama took to social media X (formerly Twitter) to wish wife Michelle on her 61st birthday on Friday. In a love-filled post, Obama shared a picture with Michelle – the two of them holding hands while sitting across the table. He captioned it: “Happy birthday to the love of my life, Michelle Obama. You fill every room with warmth, wisdom, humor, and grace – and you look good doing it. I’m so lucky to be able to take on life’s adventures with you. Love you!”

Michelle was quick to respond with “Love you, honey!” coupled with two emojis – a heart and face blowing a kiss.

Love you, honey! https://t.co/fiQaCYmQ02

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 17, 2025

His post comes amid rumours about their divorce on social media platforms. The rumours spurt following reports of Michelle skipping the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. Her office announced this week that Michelle would not attend the upcoming inauguration but did not offer an explanation.

Her office said on Tuesday, “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”

She also did not accompany Barack to the funeral of former US president Jimmy Carter on January 9.

Michelle Obama

The former first lady grew up on the South Side of Chicago. As the daughter of a city water-pump operator and a stay-at-home mom, she never imagined inspiring people and driving historic change.

Michelle met her husband Barack in 1989 at a law firm Sidley Austin LLP, where she worked immediately after graduating from Harvard Law School. The two fell in love and married in 1992. They are parents to two girls – Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23.

“Of all the things she has achieved in her remarkable life, Michelle considers being a mother her greatest accomplishment,” reads the biography on their website.

All three former Presidents and their wives attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses, but former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will be there.

Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join their husbands for the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, representatives said.

“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” said a statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama that was shared with The Associated Press.

No explanation was given for why Michelle Obama was skipping Trump’s inauguration. She also did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral in Washington last week. Former Presidents Trump, Obama, Bush and Clinton and their spouses attended — except for her.

Bill Clinton will attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, a person familiar with the former president’s schedule confirmed for the AP. Hillary Clinton will also attend, a spokesperson said.

The Office of George W. Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush are also attending.

Michelle Obama was the only spouse absent at last week’s funeral service at Washington National Cathedral, where her husband and Trump were seated next to each other and chatted and laughed like old friends despite the history of political animosity between the Democratic former president and the returning Republican.

The former first lady campaigned against Trump during his 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In her 2018 memoir, she described her shock upon learning that Trump would succeed her husband, and she denounced Trump’s “birther” campaign, which questioned Barack Obama’s citizenship.

Michelle Obama campaigned last fall for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, delivering an emotional speech in Michigan in which she challenged men to vote for the vice president and argued that women’s lives would be at risk if Trump returned to the White House.

All three former Presidents and their wives attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, including Hillary Clinton, after she lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Carter also attended.

President-elect Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama were seen engaging in a friendly conversation at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on January 9, 2025.

This unexpected moment of camaraderie between the two political rivals quickly went viral on social media. Trump, who was unaware of how their interaction looked, later commented on the moment, saying, “I said, ‘Boy, they look like two people that like each other.’ And we probably do.” Despite their differing political philosophies, Trump expressed that they simply “got along” and enjoyed the ceremony.

The funeral, held at Washington’s National Cathedral, brought together five living former US presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and outgoing President Joe Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris, who had a contentious 2024 election loss to Trump, was also in attendance and appeared intrigued by the exchange between the two former presidents. However, she did not greet Trump during the service.

Trump and Obama have a history of criticising each other, with Trump spreading the birther conspiracy theory about Obama and repeatedly attacking the Obamas. However, in August, Trump issued unusual praise for his predecessor, calling him “a nice gentleman” and saying he respects the Obamas, per CNN.

The state funeral of President Jimmy Carter offered a fleeting moment of national unity, just 11 days before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Carter was remembered for his character, humanitarian efforts, and significant contributions to foreign policy. Outgoing President Joe Biden, delivered a eulogy highlighting Carter’s foresight and character.

The moment between Trump and Obama has sparked conversations online, with many commenting on the unexpected display of friendship between the two political figures. As one user commented, “He was expecting a hello from Kamala”. The interaction has also been seen as a rare moment of unity among the living former US presidents, who were all in attendance at the funeral.
 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama was noticeably absent from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday. A person familiar with her schedule told Politico that Michelle Obama had a scheduling conflict and is currently in Hawaii, per Politico.

Her office confirmed her absence, with spokesperson Crystal Carson stating, “Former First Lady Michelle Obama is not in attendance at President Carter’s National Funeral Service. Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President”, according to Associated Press.

Notably, Michelle Obama would have been seated next to former President Donald Trump, who instead sat next to her husband, former President Barack Obama. The two chatted for several minutes before the funeral began. Barack Obama, a Democrat, appeared to speak cordially to his Republican successor, as did former Democratic President Bill Clinton and his Republican successor, George W. Bush.

The funeral was a rare joint appearance of the five living presidents, including Obama, Trump, Clinton, George W. Bush, and President Joe Biden. They were joined by their spouses, including former first lady Melania Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former first lady Laura Bush and first lady Jill Biden, except for Michelle Obama. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, as well as former Vice President Mike Pence and former second lady Karen Pence were also present.

The event brought together prominent leaders from the past and present, along with dignitaries from all branches of the US government and representatives of foreign leaders.

CNN reported that Michelle Obama had been on an “extended vacation” in Hawaii, which conflicted with the funeral schedule. Her spokesperson did not comment on whether she would attend President Trump’s inauguration on January 20. The dignitaries will gather again in Washington for the inauguration, marking another significant event that brings together the nation’s leaders.
 

Washington DC:

A Secret Service agent, assigned to Barack Obama’s detail, was recently fired after he landed in hot water for allegedly bringing a lover to the former US President’s beachfront property in Hawaii, according to a new memoir by the law enforcement officer’s former girlfriend.

In “Undercover Heartbreak: a Memoir of Trust and Trauma,” Koryeah Dwanyen detailed a series of potential security lapses on the former agent’s part while he was trying to woo her, including a time when he sent her photos of the house and even suggested a tour of the mansion when the Obamas weren’t home, according to ABC News.

Allegations

“No one will know. If anything, I’m the one who could get in trouble,” the agent, who was given the pseudonym “Dale” in the book, allegedly told Ms Dwanyen. 

“No one will know. If anything, I’m the one who could get in trouble,” says the agent in the memoir, where he is given the pseudonym “Dale.”

As per the ABC report, the incident happened in 2022, while the agent was assigned to protect the former President. As per Ms Dwanyen’s book, the agent even tried to get her to fool around in the former first lady Michelle Obama’s bathroom.

“We should have sex in Michelle [Obama]’s bathroom, like a mile-high club,” the book, self-published on October 28, claimed he said.

As per the memoir, Ms Dwanyen was vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard in 2022 when she met ‘Dale’, who was assigned to the security detail of the Obama family. At the time, he reportedly told the woman that he was divorced and had been for nearly a decade. She later found out that the agent was still married, according to the book.

Later, during an interview with ABC, Dwanyen said, “There were major red flags — breaches of trust and of his job.” 

Acting on her concern, Ms Dwanyen said, she sent an email to the agent’s boss — whom she had met “several times” in Hawaii –outlining her concerns about “breaches of trust and of his job”. 

The secret service agent’s boss took the matter seriously and started an investigation. “They realized that not only had ‘Dale’ shared photos of the Obamas’ house, but he had also brought me there,” Ms Dwanyen wrote in the book.

It was also found that the agent had allegedly also taken photos of “pictures of Alicia Keys’ house, Steven Spielberg’s boats, Melinda Gates, Tyler Perry and Amal Clooney.” He has also shared background information on former vice president Mike Pence, who he had allegedly been assigned to during the Trump Administration, she said.

According to Ms Dwanyen, ‘Dale’ shared some “personal tidbits” with her which “he should not have” about the people he was protecting. “I knew their code names. I knew what day Orange Theory was, what day [Michelle Obama] had private tennis lessons and when her personal trainer came…Things that I should not have been privy to as a civilian,” she said.

Agent Fired

After the allegations surfaced, the Secret Service launched an internal investigation following which the agent was fired for alleged violations of fundamental regulations.

“On Nov. 6, 2022, a Secret Service agent involved in protective functions brought an individual who did not have authorized access into a protectee’s residence without permission,” Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s chief of communications, told ABC News.

“As soon as the Secret Service became aware of the incident, the agent involved was immediately suspended and after a full investigation, terminated,” he said. 

Guglielmi stressed that the US Secret Service’s top priority is ensuring the safety and security of its protectees, “and any actions that compromise this commitment are addressed with the utmost seriousness.”

Chicago:

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set out Friday on the final 10-week sprint to election day, with the Democrat surging after an electrifying speech accepting the Democratic Party nomination.

Less than three weeks before the presidential debate between the US vice president and the Republican ex-president — and only a month before early in-person voting begins – polls show the race for the White House is neck and neck.

The former senator and prosecutor leaves Chicago with the wind in her sails, having outraised Trump and erased the polling leads he was enjoying before she replaced President Joe Biden atop the Democratic ticket last month.

But Dan Kanninen, battleground director of the Harris campaign, cautioned at a Bloomberg event on the sidelines of the convention that the race “is not fundamentally changed” and still “very, very tight.”

“We have tremendous enthusiasm — I think momentum is on our side — but we now need to do something with it and engage the electorate effectively this fall,” he said.

Harris accepted her party’s presidential nomination on a glitzy final night in Chicago, buoyed by a galaxy of stars, that set the stage for the gruelling run-in to November 5.

Razor thin margins

The 59-year-old Californian has edged ahead by razor-thin margins in polling, reversing what had started to look like a likely Trump victory against Biden before he dramatically pulled out and endorsed Harris.

In just a month, Harris has raised a record-breaking half a billion dollars, enjoying a political honeymoon that shows little sign of ending.

Party leaders have cautioned that headwinds could still buffet the campaign, however.

These include internal protests over US policy on the Israel-Hamas war and possible shifts in polling with the expected withdrawal on Friday of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who may endorse Trump.

The controversial scion of America’s revered Kennedy clan is planning an announcement in Arizona, while Trump is also campaigning in the state, and promising to showcase a “special guest.”

Analysts are mixed on the effect a Kennedy exit would have.

He is polling in the low single digits and his embrace of conspiracy theories has made him a fringe figure.

However, in a very tight race, it is possible that even a few thousand votes in a crucial swing state could ultimately determine who takes the White House.

Democratic heavy hitters, from Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton to vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, have warned that the party could still lose to Trump’s Republicans if complacency creeps in.

“If we see a bad poll — and we will — we’ve got to put down that phone and do something,” the former first lady told the party faithful in Chicago.

Walz, a former school football coach, used a sporting analogy, saying that Democrats were “down a field goal, but we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball.”

Reaching for the centre

Trump has largely been singing to the choir, mobilizing his right-wing base with apocalyptic warnings about migrant criminals and painting a dark picture of a country in “decline” that only he can save.

Harris and her Democrats have been reaching toward the centre.

Party strategists spent the week in Chicago showcasing a parade of anti-Trump Republicans, including ex-cabinet officials, a small-town mayor and a former statewide officeholder.

“If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot,” former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan said.

While they previously characterised Trump as a demagogue, Democrats have instead begun making fun of the Republican nominee in a manner designed to belittle him and dent his aura of invincibility.

Harris called him an “unserious” person.

Harris, who has no events announced for the weekend, heads back to Washington with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Friday to begin sketching out a battle plan for the next 70-plus days.

“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” Harris said in her keynote speech, earning uproarious applause.

“A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical and has common sense and always fights for the American people.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on the phone with former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as the Obamas endorse Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate in this still image taken from a video released on July 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats.

The endorsement, announced Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple, comes as Harris continues to build momentum as the party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse his second-in-command against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

It also highlights the friendship and potentially historic link between the nation’s first Black president and the first woman, first Black woman and first person of Asian descent to serve as vice president, who is now vying to break those same barriers at the presidential rank.

“We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” the former President told Harris, who is shown taking the call as she walks backstage at an event, trailed by a Secret Service agent.

Said Michelle Obama, “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you.

“This is going to be historic,” she added.

Ms. Harris, who has known the Obamas since before his election in 2008, thanked them for their friendship and said she looks forward to “getting there, being on the road” with them in the three-month blitz before Election Day on Nov. 5.

“We’re gonna have some fun with this too, aren’t we?” Harris said.

The Obamas are perhaps the last major party figures to endorse Ms. Harris formally — a reflection of the former president’s desire to remain, at least publicly, a party elder operating above the fray. The Obamas remain prodigious fundraising draws and popular surrogates at large campaign events for Democratic candidates.

According to an Associated Press survey, Ms. Harris already has secured the public support of a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. The Democratic National Committee expects to hold a virtual nominating vote that would, by Aug. 7, make Harris and a yet-to-be-named running mate the official Democratic ticket.

Mr. Biden endorsed Ms. Harris within an hour of announcing his decision last Sunday to end his campaign amid widespread concern about the 81-year-old president’s ability to defeat Trump. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton followed in the days after.

The Obamas, however, trod carefully as Ms. Harris secured the delegate commitments, made the rounds among core Democratic constituencies and raised more than $120 million. The public caution tracks how the former president handled the weeks between Mr. Biden’s debate debacle against Trump and the President’s eventual decision to end his campaign: Obama was a certain presence in the party’s maneuvers but he operated quietly.

Barack Obama’s initial statement after Mr. Biden’s announcement did not mention Ms. Harris. Instead, he spoke generically about coming up with a nominee to succeed Biden: “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” the former president wrote.

Both Obamas campaigned separately for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, including large rallies on the closing weekends before Election Day. They delivered key speeches at the Democrats’ convention in 2020, a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic. The former president’s speech was especially notable because he unveiled a full-throated attack on Trump as a threat to democracy, an argument that endures as part of Ms. Harris’ campaign.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has predicted. Cruz claims Biden will be replaced at the Democratic National Convention in August, just three months before the election.

The prediction comes after the first presidential debate where Biden’s performance was widely criticised by political analysts and news organisations. Some strategists are reportedly discussing ways to replace Biden on the ballot.

Democrats are reportedly “panicked” and actively discussing replacing Biden on the ticket, citing his “hoarse and halting voice”, “unclear” answers and “struggle” to finish his thoughts, according to the NYT and Politico. Some are even “pushing for him to drop out of the race”,  and “replacing him on the ticket.”

Cruz shared his thoughts on his podcast, saying the Democratic Party will likely replace Biden with Michelle Obama due to his poor debate performance. “The odds are north of 80% that the Democratic Party will remove Joe Biden from the ticket and replace him with Michelle Obama because Biden did so disastrously badly tonight that Democrats across the country are in utter freefall and complete panic,” he said.

After the presidential debate on Thursday, leaders from both parties share their thoughts on social media. While Biden supporters attributed his poor performance to a cold, Republicans were more critical.

Nikki Haley, former presidential candidate, posted on X, “Mark my words… Biden will not be the Democratic nominee. Republicans, get your guard up!”

Mark my words….Biden will not be the Democrat nominee. Republicans, get your guard up!

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) June 28, 2024

Vivek Ramaswamy, a potential VP pick for Trump, shared a series of critical tweets about Biden’s debate performance. He suggested that the Democratic Party is using Biden as a “sacrificial lamb” and implied that they should replace him with a different nominee. 

The game is now more obvious than ever: the Democrat Party served up an old man as their sacrificial lamb tonight.

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 28, 2024

Meanwhile, former US President Barack Obama has come out in support of Joe Biden, urging Americans to remember the core values at stake in the election. “Bad debate nights happen, trust me, I know,” Obama said, downplaying Biden’s poor debate performance.

Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024

He added that the election is still a choice between two fundamentally different candidates: one who has fought for ordinary people his entire life and another who only cares about himself.

After a poll revealed that Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States, was the leading choice to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic party’s candidate for the presidential elections, her office has revealed her stand regarding the upcoming presidential elections, as per a report in NBC News.

Michelle Obama has no intentions to run for President, even though many of her supporters are looking forward to this development. She is actively supporting the reelection campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.

In a statement to NBC News, the former first lady’s office made it clear that her plans do not include running for the post of President. Crystal Carson, Director of Communications for her office, said “As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president. Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.”

Meanwhile, Obama’s adviser cited her conversation with Oprah Winfrey from last year as evidence of her way of thinking and the reason she would probably never run for office. In a Netflix special, she said, “Politics is hard. And the people who get into it … you’ve got to want it. It’s got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”

Last month, she expressed deep fear about the upcoming elections, saying it “haunts” her. “The fact that people think that government-‘eh,, does it really even do anything?’ – and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, does government do everything for us, and we cannot take this democracy for granted.’ And I worry sometimes that we do. Those are the things that keep me up,” she had said.

It is to be noted nearly half of the Democrats who voted in the Rasmussen Reports polls, expressed their choice for someone other than Biden to fight the US Presidential elections. About 48 per cent of the Democrats polled said they approve of the party “finding another candidate to replace Joe Biden before the election in November,” compared to 38 per cent who disapprove.

Michelle Obama got about 20 per cent of votes among other options to replace 81-year-old Joe Biden. The other contenders were Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, celebrated their 31st anniversary on Tuesday. The couple, who have been married since 1992, took to their official social media accounts to share heartwarming words for each other. In his post, while Mr Barack shared a picture of him and his wife posing together while standing in front of a field, Ms Michelle shared an image of her and Mr Barack smiling together in what appeared to be a park. 

“Happy anniversary, sweetheart! @MichelleObama, you’re brilliant, kind, funny, and beautiful – and I’m lucky to call you mine,” Brack Obama wrote on Instagram. 

Take a look below: 

Michelle Obama, on the other hand, shared a message in the caption about how special their relationship is. “31 years, and a lifetime to go. I love going through life with you by my side, @BarackObama. Happy anniversary, honey!” she wrote.

In the comment section of their posts, internet users praised the couple and congratulated them on their latest milestone. “sooo beautiful!!!!!! may love continue to flourish all around u in every may!!!! Blessings!!!!!!!” wrote one user. “That’s love right there in human form! Happy Anniversary,” said another. 

“Happy Anniversary, my own people. I love y’all too much. More grace, more smiles, more love to the best couple in the world,” commented a third. “Happy Anniversary to you both you have reached a great milestone wishing you Gods richest blessings Enjoy your day,” added another. 

Also Read | Victoria Beckham Addresses David Beckham’s Alleged Affair In Netflix Series

According to The Independent, the couple tied the knot in 1992 and they went on to welcome two daughters – Malia and Sasha. 

Last year too, the pair shared similar tributes in honour of their 30th anniversary. They uploaded throwback pictures from their wedding day and they expressed their love for each other. “Miche, after 30 years, I’m not sure why you look exactly the same and I don’t. I do know that I won the lottery that day – that I couldn’t have asked for a better life partner,” the former US President wrote in the caption.

Ms Michelle, meanwhile, marked their 30th anniversary by sharing side-by-side photos of the couple at the beach and on their wedding day. “Happy anniversary to the man I love! These last 30 years have been an adventure, and I’m grateful to have you by my side. Here’s to a lifetime together. I love you @BarackObama,” she wrote.