Former President Barack Obama reportedly once called President Joe Biden's family relationships “weird,” a person familiar with the comments told Axios.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is unhappy that Hunter Biden's ex-wife and close friend Kathleen Buhl was “ostracized” and “treated unfairly” by the Biden family after their divorce, two people familiar with the relationship said. AxiosThe former first lady's feelings about the situation, combined with her feelings about politics, have led her to stay away from the campaign trail even though President Barack Obama is campaigning, sources told Axios. (Related article: President Obama is “deeply concerned” that Biden will lose to Trump and feels the need to intervene.)
Obama frequently campaigns with Biden and has appeared in some social media videos with him, Axios reported, but Michelle has rarely made such appearances. After attending an event with Biden in 2017, Obama called the Biden family dynamic “weird,” a source told Axios. The event was for the Beau Biden Foundation and became a topic of conversation among Biden family members shortly after Hunter Biden had divorced Buhle and was dating his late brother's widow, Hallie Biden, Axios reported.
US President Joe Biden chats with former first lady Michelle Obama before boarding Air Force One at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, on November 28, 2023. Biden is headed to Denver, Colorado for a campaign reception. (Photo by Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“The Biden and Obama families are like family to each other and anyone making these allegations about that relationship is unaware of it,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Axios.
Despite the reported tensions, Axios reported that there are still talks about bringing Michelle Obama into the campaign. White House senior aide Anita Dunn and top aide to Michelle Obama, Melissa Winter, met to discuss how the Biden campaign could use the former first lady to help the president in his reelection bid, the outlet reported. Though the former first lady generally dislikes partisan politics, she spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention after urgings from the Biden campaign and other Democrats, according to Axios.
“She is a friend of Katherine and the Bidens. Two things are true.” Crystal Carson, One Spokesperson for Michelle Obama told Axios:
