Why Insiders Claim Michelle Obama Has A Bone To Pick With The Biden Family

Former First Lady Michelle Obama hasn't been campaigning on behalf of President Joe Biden. This surprising choice is reportedly due to the Biden family's treatment of her friend. Michelle has been close friends with Kathleen Buhle since Barack Obama was in office. At the time, Buhle was married to Joe's son, Hunter Biden, but they have since had a tumultuous split. The Biden family's subsequent relationship with Buhle may not be sitting well with Michelle, and it's said to be affecting her involvement with Joe's campaign. 

Buhle and Hunter were married from 1993 through 2017 — the same year Barack left office after becoming president in 2009. Buhle has been open with the public about the struggles that plagued her marriage to Hunter, which has reportedly upset the Biden family. Buhle's 2022 memoir, "If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing," chronicled their relationship, including details of Hunter's drug addiction and extramarital affair. Buhle also testified in Hunter's 2024 gun trial and spoke about his descent into crack cocaine addiction and how he became "angry [and] short-tempered," per the New York Post. 

According to Axios, friends of Buhle believe that the Biden family's response to her revelations about Hunter is misplaced, as they seem upset at Buhle for revealing her experiences rather than condemning Hunter for his behavior. Per Axios, Michelle has opened up to those close to her about her distaste for the Bidens' poor treatment of Buhle. 

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Michelle Obama is a particularly popular figure, especially among Democrats, so her voice matters in this election. In fact, many folks wanted to see her run for president. In a March 2024 statement to NBC News, her office attempted to end this urging and the related rumors, saying, "As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president." The statement added, "Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' re-election campaign." Yet, despite her office stating that she is backing Biden in the upcoming election, she hasn't been open about it herself.

While Barack Obama was in office, Biden was his vice president. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Barack has been consistent about his support of Joe on social media, but the same doesn't go for Michelle. Michelle was even allegedly on the fence about supporting Joe in the 2020 election, but she did ultimately get involved and posted on social media in support. It is, of course, possible for Michelle to get involved with the campaign in the coming months, and multiple sources told Axios that this possibility has been discussed by aides for the White House and Michelle. Yet, in her book, "Becoming," Michelle wrote, "If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's the power of using your voice," so if she's decided to stay quiet, there's almost surely a good reason.