As part of #NationalGirlfriendsDay, let's give a shoutout to the friends who always have our backs! My girlfriends… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) August 01, 2019
President Barack Obama hugs Malia after her graduation
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President Barack Obama smiles as he walks down the steps of the Capitol with Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny after attending a “Friends of Ireland” luncheon
President Barack Obama holds a book of poetry given to him by Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny during their meeting in the Oval Office
Vice President Joe Biden listens during a meeting between President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, on St. Patrick’s Day in the Oval Office
Left to right – Martin Nesbitt, Valerie Jarrett, Dr. Eric Whitaker
The State: They golf with him, they vacation with him, their kids and his kids hang out. To them, he is Barack, not Mr. President. He can be teased and tease back.
They form the trusted circle of tightlipped friends who have sustained Barack Obama through good times and bad since his days in Chicago, from Hawaii to Washington to Martha’s Vineyard and back again.
For the most powerful man on the planet who nonetheless may have one of the loneliest jobs, a close band of buddies – Eric Whitaker, Martin Nesbitt and Valerie Jarrett form the core – has become a second family, to a degree replacing the one he lost or never had with the absence of his father and death of his mother in 1995.
Apart from wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha, they are the people he is closest with. And to the president, in his private life a creature of habit, there’s a comfort in turning to trusted friends with whom confidence runs deep and there is no question about where loyalties lie.
“I think that for a president of the United States who’s always on, it’s a relief to be around people who’ve known you for a very long time so that you can just be comfortable, No. 1 being yourself, and No. 2 knowing that you can trust them completely,” Jarrett said in an interview.
“There’s a level of trust that has withstood the test of time. He doesn’t have to worry about his friends leaking the details of his vacation to the press,” she said.
“He enjoys being around people who are completely comfortable teasing him and treating him like a friend and not the president of the United States.”
Full article here
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CBS: Obama’s Circle Of Friends (January 21, 2009) – ‘From Barry to President Obama; Erin Moriarity speaks with Marty Nesbitt, one of President Obama’s closest friends, about this historic moment and the importance of friendship.’ (You can see the original video here)
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at Sidwell Friends School for a parent-teacher conference for their 9-year-old daughter, Sasha. The first couple arrived at 7:25 a.m. and stayed for about half an hour
First Lady Michelle Obama returns to the White House
The Hill: First daughter Sasha Obama went on a field trip Wednesday morning – to her own home. The nine-year-old attended the arrival ceremony at the White House that began Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit.
After the formal welcome, President Obama and the Chinese leader greeted those who came to the White House. The president paused when he reached Sasha and introduced her to Hu.
The first daughter stood out in the first row of school students … a Secret Service agent could be seen standing behind her as she waved the Chinese and American flags. Despite living in the White House, Sasha seemed visibly excited to be there, trading flags back and forth with her classmates standing near her…..
Washington Post: ….among the crowds of dignitaries and onlookers waving American and Chinese flags were about 150 students, including Obama’s younger daughter, Sasha, and several of her fourth-grade classmates from Sidwell Friends School. The youngsters are studying China in social studies, White House staffers said, and came to the welcoming ceremony as a field trip, of sorts.
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The Obama Diary 
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