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Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to return to the White House on Wednesday for the unveiling of their official portraits.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host the event, but all may not be friendly among those close to the two former running mates, according to a new report.
The Washington Post reported that there is a “long-simmering tension, and even some jealousy, between the circles around Obama and Biden,” particularly after Obama in April jokingly called him “Vice President Biden.”
The Obama-Biden “bromance” was oversold, aides told the Post, and some of Biden’s team feel “resentment” toward Obama aides who wanted to drop Biden from the ticket in 2012.
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President Biden and former President Obama attend an event to mark the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 5, 2022.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Some former Obama aides, like economic adviser Jason Furman, have not shied away from criticizing Biden policies.
“Pouring roughly half trillion dollars of gasoline on the inflationary fire that is already burning is reckless,” tweeted Furman, who served as chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration. “Doing it while going well beyond one campaign promise ($10K of student loan relief) and breaking another (all proposals paid for) is even worse.”
The White House has been quick to dismiss any implication that the president and the Obamas share any animosity.
“President Biden and Dr. Biden are honored to have former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama back to the White House for the unveiling of their portraits, which will hang on the walls of the White House forever as reminders of the power of hope and change,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the Post.
Traditionally, the current president has always invited their predecessor to the White House to unveil their official portraits. The ceremony will be the first time Michelle Obama has entered the White House since leaving with her husband in 2017.
The White House Historical Association facilitates the creation of these portraits. Typically, the president and first lady pick their artist before leaving the White House. Presidents and first ladies have final approval of the paintings before they are revealed to the public.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden and President Obama participate in a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2009.
(REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo)
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After the Wednesday event, Obama is set to participate in a Democrat-hosted fundraiser on Thursday, just two months out from the November midterms.
The former president will be headlining the fundraiser with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and they are expected to carry on a “conversation” in New York City on Thursday, according to the invitation obtained by Fox News Digital.
General reception entry is $25,000 per guest, with VIP Reception and Photo Line entry set at $50,000 per person.
Fox News’ Haley Chi-Sing, Phillip Nieto, Morgan Phillips and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.
