The Obamas soaked up the sun on Steven Spielberg’s superyacht in the Italian Riviera — as hundreds of thousands of mourners paid tribute to the life and legacy of slain Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
The former first couple — who have been rarely photographed together in recent months as marriage trouble rumors swirl — were spied boarding the $250 million, 357-foot luxury vessel, dubbed “Seven Seas,” a day apart.
Photos show former first lady Michelle Obama, decked out in a Canadian tuxedo, greeted with a bear hug by the Academy Award-winning “Jaws” director as she arrived Friday afternoon, enjoying dinner on board.
She was joined for the maritime excursion the following evening by former President Barack Obama, who arrived around 10 p.m. Saturday with a full entourage in tow, complete with escorts from Italian intelligence agency DIGOS, diplomatic vehicles, bomb-sniffing dogs and the Italian military police force, the carabinieri.
They were both spotted again on Sunday, having spent the night sheltering from rough seas on the behemoth watercraft, which was docked in the stunning harbor of Portofino. They had breakfast on the boat, then went to lunch at Punta Chiappa near Camogli.
The couple was spied tripping the light fantastic on the ship’s upper deck, sharing laughs and enjoying lunch with Spielberg and his longtime wife actress Kate Capshaw, with photos showing both Obamas flashing broad smiles.
The former president, meanwhile, wearing a tan windbreaker and a white ball cap, spent some time focusing deeply over a laptop computer he brought on board.
As they lived it up in the sea air, more than 200,000 mourners descended on State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. for a remembrance ceremony in honor of Kirk, a conservative icon and personal friend of President Trump who was fatally shot Sept. 10 as he spoke at Utah Valley University.
Whispers of marriage trouble between the power couple reached their peak when Michelle was absent at two high-profile events earlier this year, President Trump’s inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
But on a July episode of the ex-first lady’s podcast, “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,” she sought to shut down the scuttlebutt about alleged marital woes, saying, “There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I have thought about quitting my man.”