OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
6:18 PM – Monday, March 18, 2024
Former United States President Barack Obama stopped by No.10 Downing Street to attend an “informal” meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, according to Downing Street authorities.
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On Monday, Obama and Sunak had a meeting together on Downing Street that left many people scratching their heads in confusion.
The former Democrat president, who held office from 2009 to 2017, waved to reporters before going inside the U.K. prime minister’s residence at 3 p.m. for an “unspecified private meeting.”
The former president’s visit to London included an “informal casual courtesy drop in,” according to a Downing Street official.
Another Downing Street source informed the media that Obama and Sunak met on Monday afternoon and purportedly discussed a wide range of topics, including “international relations” and “artificial intelligence (AI).”
“President Obama’s team made contact and obviously the prime minister was very happy to meet with him and discuss the work of the Obama Foundation,” a Downing Street spokesperson stated.
Obama left approximately an hour after the meeting with Sunak.
Just after 4 p.m., Obama returned to the public eye and responded by saying, “I’m tempted,” expressing a desire to speak to reporters. He was accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jane D. Hartley.
A spokesperson for the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, claimed that the meeting was related to their non-profit Barack Obama Foundation, and partly because the two also wanted to vacation in London.
The foundation’s somewhat vague mission statement reads: “Our Mission: To inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world.”
According to the Associated Press, Obama visited Downing Street on multiple occasions throughout his two terms as president, and he also met with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2008 while on the campaign trail.
Obama’s most recent visit to Downing Street took place in April 2016, prior to the Brexit vote.
According to Politico EU, Obama stated during that visit that if Britain left the European Union, it would be placed “behind the queue” in trade negotiations with the United States.
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