Barack and Michelle Obama garner round of applause at National Gallery of Art
'Round of applause and cheers as Obama leaves the National Gallery becoming a thing apparently,' says reporter
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Barack and Michelle Obama took fellow museum-goers by surprise after making an appearance at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
This is the first time the couple have been seen out since Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims the Obama administration wire-tapped his Trump Tower phones during the presidential election. President Trump has yet to provide any evidence for his bold claim and President Obama’s intelligence chief has denied any such activity occurred.
A crowd gathered to watch the former first couple leave the gallery and reportedly launched into a round of applause and cheers for them.
NBC reporter, Benjy Sarlin, commented on the throng of people who gathered to watch the pair.
“Round of applause and cheers as Obama leaves the National Gallery, becoming a thing apparently,” Mr Sarlin added.
“They just cleared the east wing of the National Gallery of Art because Obama is here. Iconic,” chipped in Sophie Florence.
Since leaving the White House, many of Obama’s public sightings have attracted applause. Last month, the former president and his daughter Malia were spotted at Arthur Miller's The Price, a play starring Danny DeVito and Mark Ruffalo at the American Airlines Theatre in New York.
In a similar vein, a small crowd cheered on the former president as he made his way out of the theatre.
Since the Obamas packed their belongings and left the corridors of power, Mr Obama has enjoyed some downtime. He went kitesurfing on Mosquito Island on the British Virgin Islands alongside Richard Branson. Sporting a backwards baseball cap and flip-flops, Obama looked more relaxed than ever.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments