Former President Barack Obama recently sparked controversy on social media after meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London.
The 62-year-old former U.S. president was asked about his surprise visit to the U.K. The British government said the meeting between Obama and Sunak was unrelated to issues with the royal family.
“The Prime Minister welcomed Barack Obama to No 10 this afternoon for an informal meeting, as part of the former President’s visit to London with the Obama Foundation,” a spokesperson for Downing Street told the New York Post. “They discussed a range of issues, including international affairs and AI.”
Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama founded the foundation in 2014. The former president was seen entering Sunak’s office on the afternoon of March 18, 2024.
Obama remained in the office for about an hour before departing with U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Jane Hartley, according to Sky News.
Reporters gathered around Downing Street to coerce Obama into taking questions, to which the former president replied, “I’m tempted,” before walking away to a motorcade.
Obama traveled to the U.K. three times during his eight-year presidential tenure. The previous time he visited London was in April 2016.
The former president’s meeting with Sunak could signal that his influence in international politics remains high, given concerns over President Joe Biden’s weakening cognitive abilities.
Before meeting with the British prime minister, Obama spoke to a sold-out crowd at the FTI SuperNova technology festival in Belgium. The former president also stopped by Laeken Castle in Brussels, where he posed for a picture with Belgian King Phillipe and Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Brabant.
Obama’s visit comes as Sunak has been outspoken about trying to streamline government policies in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). In 2023, the British prime minister hosted an AI Safety Summit that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris partook in.
Given Obama’s influence and presence in international affairs, conservatives wonder whether the former president is pulling the strings in the Biden administration.
Obama is actually POTUS and Biden is his puppet, and it's obvious to everyone now. https://t.co/0byuioQ5pK
— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) March 18, 2024
“Obama is actually POTUS and Biden is his puppet, and it’s obvious to everyone now,” conservative commentator Emerald Robinson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
