Never has the world been so concerned with what an ex-president is doing since Barack Obama left office in January last year. That’s right, it’s only been a year and a half since Donald Trump became president - feels like a decade, no? Of course, as the US slowly implodes and takes the rest of the world with it, we can look to off-duty Obama for sweet relief.
This week, we’ve been treated to not one but TWO cases of Obama living his best life post-presidency. First came the videos of him and Michelle dancing at the Jay Z and Beyoncé concert, where we were party to his smooth moves. Then, and this is our favourite, he reunited with his beloved Vice President Joe Biden to visit a bakery together.
Giving the world a truly-deserved heart-warming start to their Tuesday, off-duty Obama really is saving this weird week of climate-change madness and lack of summer working hours sadness. With that in mind, we’ve decided to list all of those adorable off-duty moments, just to give your Tuesday afternoon a boost…
The Beyoncé And Jay-Z Concert
Since captured on Saturday night, our Instagram has been awash with weirdly-angled videos of Barack and Michelle dancing at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s show in Landover, Maryland. The couple were in box seats at the FedEx Field venue, with this being Michelle’s second experience of On The Run II, having only seen the show two weeks ago in Paris with her daughter Sasha and the one and only Tina Knowles Lawson.
The Joe Biden Bakery Reunion
After a weekend of bouncing around to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Barack reunited with his former vice president and best friend (as far as we’re concerned) Joe Biden. The duo had lunch together at Dog Tag Bakery in Georgetown, Washington. The bakery is a ‘living business school’ for veterans, military spouses and caregivers, according to CE0 Meghan Ogilvie. She told COVER/LINE that she was only told the former president and his BFF was coming six minutes before they arrived.
According to Meghan, the duo met the 13 fellows who currently work there, took selfies and chatted about their future business plans, before grabbing a bite to eat. Obama got a side salad with his ham and gruyere sandwich, while Biden got a mint basil blueberry cake. If that doesn’t sound like the most meme-able friendship in the world we don’t know what does…
Barack Obama And The Backwards Cap
Our favourite moment of Barack’s first holiday post-presidency wasn’t the kite-surging extravaganza (we’ll get to that, don’t worry) but the simple image of him wearing a backwards cap. Visiting Richard Branson’s Necker Island, Obama was spotted living his absolute truth in flip flops and a backwards cap while Michelle even sported pigtails.
Does anyone look cooler than Barack in a backwards cap? No, the answer is no.
The ‘Was That A PR Stunt’ Kite Surfing Scandal
On the very same holiday, Barack Obama took the world by surprise when just a few weeks after he was finished leading the free word he was spotted KITE SURFING with Richard Branson. Way to live your fullest retired life, Barack.
In a video posted on the Virgin website, titled Richard vs Barack, we got to see not only Barack in a helmet, but him attempting to kite surf where he proved he literally is the chilliest guy in the entire world. While the video was lambasted as a publicity stunt, we honestly could not care less if it treats us to Barack doing watersports. Honestly, these are the PR students we actually need in the world…
Barack The Wellness Guru
Barack on holiday really is the best Barack. It’s when he truly becomes off-duty, and we get to see him doing amazingly extra yet things in the most laidback way possible. Case in point, when he was caught sipping coconut water from an ACTUAL coconut. Visiting a street market in Laos in September 2016 – back in happier times – he walked near the river of Mekong while sipping on the wellness beverage of that same year.
In fact, did Barack start the coconut water wellness trend? Is off-duty Barack actually Deliciously Ella? A Grazia investigation…
So, there you have it, while we may all long for Barack to be back on duty, he is truly living his best life off-duty. And after four years of presidency only for Trump to likely undo all of his good work, Lord knows he deserves it.
Click through to see the cutest throwback pictures of Barack and Michelle...
Barack and Michelle Obama Throwback Pictures - Grazia (slider)
1 of 4Michelle and Barack Obama Throwback Pictures - Grazia
The first image she shared was from her family home, which she describes as a 'cramped apartment'. Her caption read:'Over the next few days, I'll be sharing some photos and memories from my book, BECOMING. My father, Fraser, taught me to work hard, laugh often, and keep my word. My mother, Marian, showed me how to think for myself and to use my voice. Together, in our cramped apartment on the South Side of Chicago, my family helped me see the value in our story, in my story, and in the larger story of our country.'
2 of 4Michelle and Barack Obama Throwback Pictures - Grazia
Of course, the world swooned when Michelle uploaded her wedding day image with Barack Obama. According to her, the wedding was almost ruined by Barack waking up ill, she said:'You can't tell it from this photo, but Barack woke up on our wedding day in October, 1992 with a nasty head cold. Somehow, by the time I met him at the altar, it had miraculously disappeared and we ended up dancing almost all night. Twenty five years later, we're still having fun, while also doing the hard work to build our partnership and support each other as individuals. I can't imagine going on this wild ride with anybody else.'
3 of 4Michelle and Barack Obama Throwback Pictures - Grazia
One of our favourite images was her outside Princeton University on her first day, where she recalls being scared and never having stood out because of her race before. Michelle has previously been very vocal about how Princeton was 'infamous for being racially the most conservative of the Ivy League colleges' and even had roommates whose parents attempted to have her moved because of her race. She captioned the image with:'This is me at Princeton in the early 1980s. I know that being a first-generation college student can be scary, because it was scary for me. I was black and from a working-class neighborhood in Chicago, while Princeton's student body was generally white and well-to-do. I'd never stood out in a crowd or a classroom because of the color of my skin before. But I found close friends and a mentor who gave me the confidence to be myself. Going to college is hard work, but every day I meet people whose lives have been profoundly changed by education, just as mine was. My advice to students is to be brave and stay with it. Congratulations to the Class of 2018! #ReachHigher'
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4 of 4Michelle and Barack Obama Throwback Pictures - Grazia
Yet another adorable family candid, Michelle shared her experience of living in the White House, especially with children that her and Barack wanted to raise to be grounded. Her caption read:'Home has always been where our family is...It hasn't mattered whether we're lounging on a couch in Chicago's Hyde Park or, as we are here, in the White House. We did our best to make the White House a comfortable place where our girls could climb trees and host slumber parties, where we'd have dinner together as a family, and where we tried to live by the values our parents instilled in us.'