Former First Lady Michelle Obama took a veiled swipe at President Donald Trump during a speech today at the White House.
The Obamas joined Democrat President Joe Biden at the White House for the unveiling of their official portraits.
However, during the event before the Democrat-friendly media, the Obamas took swipes at Trump and brought up the Jan. 6 riot.
Biden said: “There are few people I have known with more integrity, more decency, and more courage than Barack Obama.
“Nothing could have prepared more for being president of the United States than being by your side for eight years.”
Barack Obama said: “Thanks to your decency and thanks to your strength, maybe most of all thanks to your faith in our democracy and the American people, the country’s better off than when you took office and we should all be deeply grateful to you for that.”
Michelle Obama said: “Traditions like this matter.
“Not just for those of us who hold these positions, but for everyone participating in and watching our democracy.
“You see, the people make their voices heard with their vote.
“We hold an inauguration to ensure a peaceful transition of power.”
“Those of us lucky enough to serve work as hard as we can, for as long as we can, as long as the people choose to keep us here, and once our time is up, we move on,” she said.
The video of Michelle Obama:
“We hold an inauguration to ensure a peaceful transition of power. Those of us lucky enough to serve work, as Barack said, as hard as we can, for as long as we can — as long as the people choose to keep us here — and once our time is up, we move on.” pic.twitter.com/2fns1hx3NG
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 7, 2022
📸 Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House today to attend a ceremony unveiling their official White House portraits.
The ceremony brings back a bipartisan tradition that was last held in 2012.
More: https://t.co/WBZFD7w76K pic.twitter.com/F5LV9RmrBZ
— Axios (@axios) September 7, 2022
According to CNN:
President Obama’s image was painted by Robert McCurdy and Michelle Obama’s portrait was painted by Sharon Sprung.
McCurdy told the White House Historical Association in an interview that his process focused on working off of a photograph of the former President.
The photorealistic image of the former President, dressed in a black suit with a gray tie, is painted against a minimal white backdrop — a signature of McCurdy’s artworks.
McCurdy said his paintings take at least a year to complete.
The former first lady’s portrait was painted by Sprung, who describes her work as “contemporary realism.”
The image depicts Michelle Obama in a blue dress seated on a sofa in the Red Room of the White House.
The artwork was painted from photographs taken in different locations on the White House’s State Floor.
