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Michelle Obama

August

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democrat National Convention in Chicago this week.

After the convention, Harris has to turn the vibe into votes

The more the vice president has to campaign on policy rather than personality, the harder it is to keep the Democrats’ fractious voter base together.

  • Emma Doyle
Former president Barack Obama with wife and former first lady Michelle.

Obamas light up the convention, and the campaign

Kamala Harris’ fight for the White House is working better than Democrats dared hope. Michelle and Barack Obama have added their star power – can the dream run last?

  • Jennifer Hewett
Barak Obama: “For all the incredible energy we’ve been able to generate over the last few weeks, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country.”

Obamas ignite Harris campaign but warn of tight race

The former president told a roaring crowd the vice president would not be a self-centred leader like Trump, but instead focus on improving Americans’ lives.

  • Updated
  • Matthew Cranston

July

Harris and former president Barack Obama attend an event in 2022.

Obamas endorse Harris, Trump vows return to shooting site

The former US president and his wife have given Kamala Harris an expected boost in her campaign against Donald Trump who says he will return to Pennyslvania.

  • Updated
  • Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw
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Bosses fear CFMEU; ASX pump-and-dump crew hit; Top 10 banker deals

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

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Michelle Obama, pictured with her mother, Marian Robinson, in 2012, is considered the most popular first lady in US history.

Why only Michelle Obama could beat Trump

The former first lady would be a “slam-dunk option for the Democrats”, according to polls. But is she up for the challenge?

  • Ed Cumming and Tom Teodorczuk

May

Why Cue founder split with designer Dion Lee

In his first comments since the fashion label of designer Dion Lee fell into administration, backer Rod Levis says the company “needs a lot more finance”.

  • Carrie LaFrenz

April 2023

Barack Obama at his Sydney speaking event on Tuesday.

Timeshare tycoon’s private jet flew Obamas Down Under

Although Sydney-based events outfit The Growth Faculty were the ones organising the tour, that doesn’t appear to have extended to the flights.

  • Myriam Robin

January 2023

Inside the shadowy world of celebrity ghostwriters

Prince Harry’s Spare is one of the many celebrity memoirs to use a ghostwriter. But what does the lucrative job actually entail?

  • Poppie Platt
Spare is already among some of the bestselling hardcover books in recent memory.

Record-breaking sales for Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’

First-day sales exceed some of publishing’s biggest hits, including blockbusters by Barack and Michelle Obama.

  • Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris

November 2022

Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres at the launch of ‘The Light We Carry’.

Rock star, role model, empath-in-chief: Michelle Obama’s life lessons

In converting her life story into self-empowering bromides, the former first lady has exposed the limits of her politics.

  • Lola Seaton

June 2022

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerber with his chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg at a conference in July 2021.

‘Proud to be a Queenager’: Why Sheryl Sandberg leant out

Following her shock resignation, the Facebook COO explains why, after encouraging women to ‘lean in’, she herself is now leaning out.

  • Eleanor Mills

January 2021

An inaugural like no other breathes new life into democracy

The background of security fears led to a different type of inaugural ceremony, but one which carried significant meaning for Americans

  • Lorraine Ali
Melania Trump's choice of outfit for a visit to Kenya caused a social media storm.

Melania Trump's enigmatic fashion legacy

Unlike her predecessors as First Lady, the former fashion model sported no signature look and her clothing choices remained mysterious.

  • Harriet Agnew

December 2020

Former President George W. Bush tours his exhibit, 'The Art of Leadership: A President's Personal Diplomacy' in 2014. Bush started painting in 2012, three years after leaving office and said reading an essay by the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on painting inspired him to take lessons.

From bovines to shooting bongos: how the ex-presidents made a living

Some are born rich. Others cash in only when they leave the White House. As Donald Trump gets set to join the list of ex-presidents here is a look at their post-office pursuits.

  • Matthew Sweet
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November 2020

Barack Obama's new memoir A Promised Land was released November 17.

Obama’s memoir is a ripping read until he gets to the White House

After detailing a thrilling ride to the presidency, Barack Obama gives an honest account of his time in office that stops consistently short of the whole truth.

  • Edward Luce

September 2020

Barack and Michelle Obama sold their memoirs to Crown as a package deal for a record-smashing $US65 million ($89 million).

112 shipping containers full of Barack Obama’s memoir to meet demand

The US doesn’t have enough printing capacity to feed the hunger for the former US president’s new book, so extra copies are being imported from Germany.

  • Elizabeth A. Harris

August 2020

Voters want a government that will get life back to normal.

Joe Biden wants to restore America's soul. Will that be enough?

Democrats are feeling buoyant after their “virtual” convention. But a walk down the main street of Biden’s hometown reveals voters wanting to know more about their economic plans.

  • Jacob Greber
"Being president doesn’t change who you are; it reveals who you are," says former first lady Michelle Obama.

Michelle Obama steals Democrats' opening night with Trump take-down

'He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is,' says the former first lady on the first night of the 2020 Democratic Convention.

  • Jacob Greber
Michelle Obama said she found the state of the US today "downright infuriating".

'He is in over his head': Obama excoriates Trump

Former first lady Michelle Obama has warned Americans 'if you think things cannot get worse, trust me, they can' as she endorsed Joe Biden. How day 1 of the Democratic national convention unfolded.

  • Jacob Greber

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/michelle-obama-4gp