By Kevin Liptak and Jeff Zeleny | CNN
When former President Barack Obama walked into the White Home on Tuesday, it was his first time within the constructing since he welcomed then-President-elect Donald Trump for espresso on the morning of Trump’s inauguration.
That pleasant greeting on the North Portico — together with the awkward handoff of a blue Tiffany’s field the Trumps had introduced as a present — couldn’t foretell the acrimony that might lie forward, as Trump shattered the relative amity that had as soon as existed between former and present presidents.
Obama’s return to the White Home didn’t embrace any of that ugliness. As a substitute, he was celebrating certainly one of his signature achievements, the Inexpensive Care Act, alongside the person who served with him within the constructing for eight years.
“It appears like the nice outdated days,” President Joe Biden mentioned alongside his onetime boss, whose return to the East Room resembled a reunion of his high allies, a lot of whom at the moment are serving in Biden’s Cupboard or in Congress.
“It's good to be again within the White Home. It’s been some time,” Obama mentioned when he started his remarks. “I confess I heard some adjustments have been made by the present President since I used to be final right here. Apparently Secret Service brokers must put on aviator sun shades now. The Navy Mess has been changed by a Baskin-Robbins. And there’s a cat operating round.”
Obama started his speech by addressing his host as “Vice President Biden” earlier than rapidly correcting himself. “That was a joke!” he exclaimed, strolling over to present Biden a hug. “That was all arrange. My President, Joe Biden.”
Biden and Obama had been asserting steps the White Home says will make well being care extra reasonably priced, together with closing a loophole that stops tens of millions of People from qualifying for subsidies.
Nonetheless, that it took greater than a 12 months for Biden to welcome his former boss to the White Home displays his want to stake out a presidency of his personal, even because the timing of the go to makes clear he isn't against searching for assist as Democrats brace for a bruising midterm election season.
With a lot of Biden’s legislative priorities stalled, Obama on Tuesday appeared to supply a preview of Democrats’ midterm message.
“Progress feels manner too gradual generally. Victories are sometimes incomplete,” he mentioned, citing the well being regulation for example of persistence in governing.
After two phrases working in Obama’s shadow, Biden has strived at moments to distinguish himself from his predecessor, most noticeably on overseas coverage. And Obama has been cognizant of permitting Biden room to manipulate as his personal man.
Whereas Obama has often spoken to Biden over the past 12 months, their phone conversations have been rare, in accordance with individuals near each males, and so they have seen one another just a few instances over the past 15 months — regardless of Obama residing solely 10 minutes away from the White Home in Washington.
In public, every likes to play up a heat friendship that developed over Obama’s presidency. Biden typically slips a reference to “Barack” in his remarks, harkening again to a bit of recommendation or an inside joke they shared. Typically the outcomes are considerably pained: On “Greatest Mates Day” in 2019, Biden shared a picture of friendship bracelets with “Joe” and “Barack” written in beads.
“They're actual pals, not simply Washington pals,” press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned Monday. “I’m certain they'll speak about occasions on the earth in addition to their households and private lives.”
She mentioned it was “precisely the precise time” for Obama to return to the White Home after greater than 5 years away.
When Obama visited the White Home on Tuesday, he joined Biden for lunch along with attending the well being care occasion within the Rose Backyard. Obama and Biden had lunch collectively each week once they served within the White Home.
“We weren’t certain who was supposed to take a seat the place,” Biden mentioned through the East Room occasion afterward.
Nonetheless, there have been limits to their friendship. Biden revealed final 12 months that he had been invited into Obama’s personal residence solely as soon as over their eight years collectively within the White Home. They've vastly completely different personalities and dealing types. And their relationship has been coloured by numerous slights, actual or perceived, that also linger.
Obama declined to endorse Biden over different Democrats within the 2020 main, a step each males insisted was vital to permit a real contest throughout the occasion. 4 years earlier, Obama had seen Hillary Clinton as his Democratic successor as a substitute of Biden, who determined to not run as he grappled together with his son’s demise.
All that makes Tuesday’s occasion a big second for every man. For Obama, it additionally marks the start of a string of public occasions, together with a keynote speech on disinformation that he’ll ship at Stanford later this month.
A preferred surrogate emerges
His return to the White Home is the primary signal of what many Democrats hope can be his elevated involvement in the 2022 midterm elections. The previous President and former first woman Michelle Obama are two of essentially the most sought-after occasion leaders — anticipated to be in excessive demand by Senate and Home candidates this 12 months.
That might doubtlessly stand in distinction to Biden, whose approval rankings stay close to historic lows heading into marketing campaign season. Biden is raring to marketing campaign for Democrats within the coming 12 months, however has additionally made recognized he's open to any function his occasion sees as useful.
Obama isn't any stranger to uphill midterm battles; he endured losses in each 2010 and 2014. But he left workplace with an approval score among the many highest for any departing president, and stays fashionable amongst Democrats.
The Obamas haven't but decided how seen they intend to be within the fall marketing campaign, however aides say they'll each dedicate time to Democratic efforts to keep up management of the Home and Senate.
The choice to have Obama seem alongside Biden on the White Home this week was designed to shine a brighter mild on one of many often-overlooked achievements of the Biden administration: strengthening the Inexpensive Care Act.
It’s harking back to former President Invoice Clinton coming to the White Home to assist clarify the financial efforts employed by Obama through the fiscal disaster within the early years of his tenure. That look, in 2010, was remembered principally for Clinton holding court docket from the briefing room podium for half an hour — lengthy after Obama had exited the room.
The well being care regulation stays one of many lasting legacies of the Obama administration. When it handed, Biden made certainly one of his most notorious asides when he whispered to Obama that it was a “large f**king deal.”
It’s no small irony that the messy well being care battle — one of many central causes Democrats misplaced management of Congress on Obama’s watch greater than a decade in the past — resulted in a regulation now seen as broadly fashionable with People. Republicans have all however dropped their efforts to repeal and exchange it after failing to take action for years.
“Given all of the noise and the controversy and the skepticism, it took some time for the American individuals to know what we had executed, however, lo and behold — a bit later than I’d anticipated — a whole lot of people, together with many who had initially opposed well being care reform, got here round,” Obama mentioned throughout his remarks Tuesday. “And right now, the ACA hasn’t simply survived, it’s fairly darn fashionable.”
Obama has remained engaged on the regulation since leaving workplace, taping movies encouraging People to enroll and breaking a near-silence on political points to criticize Republicans for making an attempt to undermine it. He and Biden appeared in a video collectively final August encouraging People to enroll, certainly one of their solely joint appearances since Biden took workplace.
“We’re going to get much more individuals lined within the years to return beneath your steering,” Obama advised Biden within the video. “Love you, man.”
Signing off, as Obama advised Biden he was pleased with him, the sitting President mentioned to anticipate him to remain in contact.
“I’m nonetheless going to name you for recommendation,” Biden mentioned.
Obama’s go to to the White Home on Tuesday is not going to be his final.
Plans have been underway for months for the formal unveiling of his portrait — a presidential ceremony of passage that was disrupted through the Trump administration and delayed through the first 12 months of the Biden administration, when the Covid-19 pandemic restricted such occasions on the White Home.