A family taking photos with the cherry blossoms on D.C.’s Tidal Basin spotted a famous figure in the background of their shots: former President Barack Obama.
To their delight, the 44th president made a cameo in their family photos early Monday.
“It was perfect,” mom Portia Moore said.
Her daughter and son were standing under a cherry tree as family photographer Briana Inell snapped her shutter. Moore was focused on keeping her kids safe.
“Of course, I’m paying attention to my son, making sure he doesn’t run into the water. He’s 20 months old,” she said.
What her husband said at the same time didn’t quite register.
“My husband’s like, ‘That’s Obama!’ I didn’t know what he was saying. I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever. I’m looking at Preston right now,’” Moore recalled.
As she picked up her son, she asked her husband, “What did you just say?’”
“That’s Obama!” he replied.
“I was like, ‘Well, did we get a picture?!’ We went to the photographer and she scrolled back and were like, ‘We got it!’” Moore said.
The photos show Obama wearing a baseball cap as he took a casual morning stroll along the Tidal Basin — and photobombing little Belle and Preston Thomas along the way.
Inell, the photographer, said the moment will stick with her.
“Usually, I’m editing all of the tourists out of the backgrounds for all my clients anyways, but this is the one photo that I won’t be editing out this person,” she said.
So, is it safe to say Moore knows which photo will go on her family’s Christmas card?
“Oh, my goodness. One hundred percent. I didn’t even think about that. Yes, it is!” she said.
If she could go back and tell Obama something, she would have this message: “Come for next year’s shoot. Same place, same time, same date. We’ll be here.”
Obama later saw the photo on Instagram and commented saying, “Preston and Belle, I hope you enjoyed peak bloom! My bad for stepping into the shot.”
He also shared his own peak bloom photos from the Tidal Basin.
