Malia and Sasha Obama enjoy lunch in LA – as mom Michelle opens up about how they are ‘best friends’

Malia and Sasha Obama enjoyed an outing with friends in Hollywood on Sunday, just one day before their mother opened up about their close bond. 

The sisters, who share an apartment, have been spotted hanging out on numerous occasions since Sasha, 21, joined Malia, 24, in Los Angeles earlier this year to finish college at the University of Southern California.

The Obama girls were dressed casually in cozy sweats for their Sunday funday, which included an afternoon lunch at Salt’s Cure and a pitstop at a nearby smoke shop. 

‘The thing that I love the most is that those two girls are each other’s best friends,’ their mother, former First Lady Michelle Obama, told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show Monday. 

Malia and Sasha Obama were spotted enjoying an afternoon lunch with friends in Los Angeles on Sunday 

The sisters were seen outside Salt’s Cure, a farm-to-table restaurant in Hollywood that is known for its oatmeal griddle cakes

After lunch, they headed to a nearby smoke shop where Malia was seen perusing the aisles 

The mom explained that her daughters have not always gotten along, but she believes their shared experience of growing up in the public eye as first daughters has cemented their unbreakable bond as adults. 

‘There was a period of time when they couldn’t stand each other, and I said, “You wait, you are going to wake up one day and you’re going to look over at that other person, and you’re going to know that you two share something very unique,’ especially given what they’ve been through,”‘ she said.

‘To see them in that place where they’re one another’s support systems and they’ve got each other’s backs, it’s the thing that a mother would want.’

Michelle recalled how her daughters invited her and her husband, Barack Obama, to their apartment for drinks during a recent visit while reflecting on what it has been like to watch them navigate adulthood. 

The day after their outing, their mother, former First Lady Michelle Obama, opened up about their unbreakable bond during her appearance on the Today show

‘The thing that I love the most is that those two girls are each other’s best friends,’ the mom said 

‘We were going to take them to dinner, and they said, “Why don’t you come over to our spot for cocktails?”‘ she said. ‘And we were like, “OK let’s see what this is going to be like.”

‘The martinis were a little weak,’ she admitted. ‘I don’t think they really knew what it was.’

Michelle also shared her amusement over her daughters’ uncharacteristic insistence that they use coasters in their apartment.  

‘When we got the glasses they were like, “Use a coaster,” and I’m like, “You never used a coaster in my house,”‘ she said. ‘So now when it’s your stuff, you want to take care of it?’ 

Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21, were both dressed casually for their Sunday funday with friends 

Malia and Sasha showed off their sisterly bond while sitting side by side at the restaurant 

The Obama girls appeared to be in a deep conversation with their friends at the table 

Malia sipped on what appeared to be a glass of wine while they were out 

Sasha picked up a FaceTime call during their afternoon lunch in Hollywood 

Malia and Sasha showed off their sisterly bond while out and about in Hollywood on Sunday afternoon. 

They were spotted sitting side by side at Salt’s Cure, a farm-to-table restaurant known for its oatmeal griddle cakes. It’s unclear what they ordered, but Malia was seen sipping on a glass of wine at the table. 

The Obamas’ oldest daughter was dressed casually in a green zip-up hoodie worn over a white tank top and black New Balance track pants. She topped off her look with a pair of black Hoka sneakers. 

She wore her long, rust-colored braids loose around her shoulders, and at times, she had the hood of her sweatshirt pulled up over her head. 

Malia was seen leaving the restaurant while her younger sister followed close behind 

Malia kindly held the door for Sasha, who was juggling a number of items in her hands 

Malia used her elbow to prop the door open for her sister 

‘To see them in that place where they’re one another’s support systems and they’ve got each other’s backs, it’s the thing that a mother would want,’ their mom said on the Today show 

Sasha also held the door open as they waited for their friends to leave the restaurant 

Sasha showed off her person style in a colorful fringe sweater and red sweatpants 

The youngest Obama girl topped off her comfortable look with a pair of shearling clogs 

Sasha carried her cellphone, wallet, and stainless steel water bottle in her hand 

Sasha was also dressed casually, but she opted for a colorful fringe sweater with red sweatpants and shearling clogs. Like her sister, she also had her hair down.  

She juggled her cellphone, wallet, leftovers, and stainless steel water bottle in her hands as she stepped out the door of the restaurant. Malia also opted to carry her cellphone and wallet in her hand. 

Shortly after lunch, they headed to Cig & Vape, a nearby smoke shop. 

Malia has been seen smoking on numerous occasions over the years, while Sasha has been spotted carrying a vape pen from time to time. 

Sasha also had a cardboard to-go container that presumably contained her leftovers from lunch 

Malia and Sasha have been sharing an apartment since the latter transferred to the University of Southern California earlier this year 

Sasha leaned in to give one of her friend’s a hug before they left the restaurant 

Malia wrapped her arms around her petite pal while appearing to say goodbye  

Everyone in the group was dressed in sporty sweats for the meetup 

Malia flashed a sliver of her stomach in a green zip-up hoodie, which she wore over a fitted white tank top 

She topped off her look with a pair of black New Balance track pants and black Hoka sneakers 

Sasha may have been dressed casually, but her signature acrylic nails were nothing short of perfection 

Their father recalled being a heavy smoker in his 2020 memoir, ‘A Promised Land,’ admitting that he would sometimes smoke eight, nine, or 10 cigarettes a day during his presidency.

Malia was seen perusing the aisle inside the shop, but it’s unclear if she ended up buying anything. However, something clearly amused her, as she let out a laugh as soon as she stepped outside. 

The rising Hollywood star moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter after graduating from Harvard University last year. Sasha followed in her footsteps months later after transferring to USC from the University of Michigan. 

Malia scored a lucrative position working on Donald Glover’s upcoming Amazon show about a ‘Beyoncé-type character.’

She previously working as an intern on Lena Dunham’s HBO series Girls in 2015 and at The Weinstein Company in 2017 before making it into the writer’s room. 

At some point in the day, she was spotted wearing an entirely different outfit and carrying the sweater she had on at lunch 

Sasha was seen hopping into a black SUV with a scarf on her head and her long dark hair in braids 

It’s unclear if the images were taken before or after she had lunch with her sister and friends  

She appeared to be pulling up her pants over her black bike shorts, suggesting she had a quick change before lunch 

Sasha left her shoes leaning on the curb as she got ready inside the car 

Glover, who is also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, confirmed in March that he gave the former first daughter her first job writing for the series, which is tentatively titled ‘Hive.’ 

‘She’s just like, an amazingly talented person,’ he told Vanity Fair of Malia. ‘She’s really focused, and she’s working really hard.’ 

The two girls have received regular visits from their high-profile parents, and they seem to be loving life on the West Coast. They are both believed to be in relationships at the moment.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in April that Sasha was dating Clifton Powell Jr., 24, who is the son of Ray actor Clifton Powell.

Clifton Jr. and Sasha are understood to have met after she relocated to California, and it appears that he is already close with the family as he has been seen hanging out with her older sister on numerous occasions. 

Malia moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter after graduating from Harvard University last year

Malia scored a lucrative position working on Donald Glover’s upcoming Amazon show about a ‘Beyoncé-type character’

 Sasha followed in her big sister’s footsteps months later after transferring to USC from the University of Michigan

Shortly after lunch, they headed to Cig & Vape, a nearby smoke shop

Malia has been seen smoking on numerous occasions over the years, while Sasha has been spotted carrying a vape pen from time to time

It’s unclear if Malia ended up buying anything, but something clearly amused her at the shop 

The former first daughter let out a laugh as soon as she stepped outside 

The Obama girls have received regular visits from their high-profile parents, and they seem to be loving life on the West Coast

Meanwhile, Malia has been linked to music producer Dawit Eklund. They were first spotted grabbing takeout food together on July 26, and their relationship appears to be going strong. 

Dawit, 33, is the son of retired State Department officer Jon Eklund, 72, who worked at several U.S. embassies in Africa, and his Ethiopian wife, Yeshi, 66.

He co-founded Washington, D.C.-based record label 1432 R, which specializes in Ethiopian music, and graduated from George Washington University, where he studied International Development in Africa.

In April, Sasha and Malia’s mother opened up about how they are all grown up during a final appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

DeGeneres, 64, reminded her of how her daughters had first visited the program as little girls who wanted to see the Jonas Brothers, but over a decade later, they’ve graduated from boybands to boyfriends.

‘Now they’re bringing grown men home,’ she said. ‘Now they have boyfriends and real lives and all that stuff. They have grown up right before our very eyes and they are doing well.’