Barack Obama’s daughters, Malia Obama and Sasha Obama, made a rare joint appearance in Chicago on June 18, attending the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center.
The sisters joined the former president and the former First Lady, Michelle Obama, on stage at the unveiling of the massive South Side Chicago campus.
Both Malia and Sasha have largely kept their lives private since leaving the White House in January 2017. Their public appearances have mostly been limited to select major events. Sasha, for instance, was last seen at the February NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, Calif.
Barack and Michelle, however, have occasionally shared glimpses into their daughters’ lives with family photos posted on social media. The former president has also previously spoken candidly about their futures.
At a June 2024 fundraiser for then-President Joe Biden in Los Angeles, Barack said neither Malia nor Sasha would ever run for president when Jimmy Kimmel asked who might be the better leader. “That is a question I do not need to answer, because Michelle drilled into them so early that you would be crazy to go into politics. It’ll never happen,” he said (per People).
The ex-president’s daughters appear to be choosing careers away from politics. Malia, 27, has built a path in the film industry, occasionally stepping onto red carpets. She has also worked with Donald Glover on projects, including Amazon Prime’s Swarm, and her short film directorial debut, The Heart.
The film, which she released under the name Malia Ann, was screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2023 Telluride Film Festival and the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In September 2024, the film earned her the Young Spirit Award at the Deauville American Film Festival in France.
Sasha, meanwhile, has remained even more private. The youngest presidential child to live in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr., she graduated with a sociology degree from the University of Southern California in 2023 and has kept her professional pursuits largely out of the public eye.
On June 10, Michelle took to Instagram to share a tribute for Sasha, marking her 25th birthday. “It’s been such a joy watching you grow into a brilliant, beautiful young woman as you blaze a trail of your own. I couldn’t be prouder of you,” she wrote in the caption.
Malia, on the other hand, will turn 28 on July 4.