Michelle Obama wishes Barack Obama, 61, happy birthday: ‘You always make me proud’

The former First Lady posted a throwback photo of her husband for his 6st birthday on Thursday

Michelle Obama shared a sweet birthday message to her husband, former President Barack Obama, on his birthday.

The 44th president of the United States turned 61 years old on 4 August. Michelle Obama, 58, commemorated her husband’s birthday by posting a throwback picture of the ex commander-in-chief to social media along with a sweet caption.

“Happy birthday to my honey!” she wrote. “Life with you just keeps getting better every year. You always make me proud. I love you.”

The photo featured a young Barack Obama looking away from the camera while wearing a retro printed shirt. On Instagram, Michelle’s post gained more than 400k likes with thousands of people wishing Barack a happy birthday.

“Happy birthday former president and many, many, more!” one person commented.

“Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” another user wrote.

The Obama family has a long tradition of sharing heartfelt social media tributes to each other for birthdays and special milestones. In June, the Becoming author shared a sweet photograph of herself holding her daughter Sasha Obama as a baby for her 21st birthday, writing, “My baby has grown into a beautiful, independent, compassionate, highly capable young woman. But you will always be my littlest pea.”

Just one month later, the mom also posted an adorable photo of herself holding her daughter Malia Obama who turned 24 years old. “24 years ago, this day became extra special when your wonderful spirit arrived in this world,” she captioned the post. “I’m so proud of the beautiful, caring, and driven young woman you’ve become. I love you so, so much! Love, your Mommy.”

Barack Obama wished Michelle a happy birthday back on 17 January with a simple yet heartfelt message for his wife. The former president shared a picture of himself kissing a smiling Michelle on the cheek as the two posed in front of a sunset. “Happy birthday, Michelle,” he wrote. “My love, my partner, my best friend…”

The couple are also gearing up for another major milestone this October: their 30th wedding anniversary. According to Michelle Obama, the secret to a long-lasting marriage is being open to admitting the realities of how hard marriage can be.

“Young couples, they face these challenges and they’re ready to give up because they think they’re broken,” she told comedian Conan O’Brien on her podcast The Michelle Obama Podcast.

“And I just want to say, look, if that breaks a marriage, then Barack and I have been broken off and on, throughout our marriage, but we have a very strong marriage,” she said. “If I had given up on it, if I had walked away from it, in those tough times, then I would’ve missed all the beauty that was there as well.”