Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House together Wednesday for the first time since leaving office for the unveiling of their official portraits.

“Barack and Michelle, welcome home,” President Biden welcomed the couple to applause from hundreds of former Obama aides who packed the East Room.

Obama lavished praise on the painting of his wife in a strapless dress, which he said depicted “everything I love about Michelle: Her grace, her intelligence and the fact that she’s fine.”

The former first lady thanked her husband for his “spicy remarks” before delivering an impassioned speech assessing the legacy of her husband’s presidency and the importance of having a “peaceful transition of power.”

“I do recognize why moments like these are important, why all of this is absolutely necessary,” Michelle Obama said, making a clear reference to last year’s Capitol riot that disrupted the certification of Biden’s victory.

“Traditions like this matter not just for those of us who hold these positions, but for everyone participating in and watching our democracy,” she said.

“You see, the people, they make their voices heard with their vote. We hold an inauguration to ensure a peaceful transition of power,” she said.

“Those of us lucky enough to serve work, as Barack said, as hard as we can for as long as we can — as long as the people choose to keep us here. And once our time is up, we move on, and all that remains in this hallowed place are our good efforts and these portraits — portraits that connect our history to the present day.”

Robert McCurdy painted the former president, while Sharon Sprung painted the former first lady’s likeness.

Michelle Obama also implored guests to consider “what we’re looking at today: A portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom. What we are seeing is a reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this country.”

The event was a rare opportunity for Biden to try to hitch Democrats’ midterm hopes to the two-term former president — as his own approval rating hovers just above 40% in most polls.

“You will be considered one of the most consequential presidents in our history, along with one of the most consequential first ladies,” Biden said, hailing his former boss for the 2010 Affordable Care Act and for his 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields from deportation people brought to the US illegally as children.

But both the 44th and 46th presidents kept their remarks relatively light.

“Someone once said that if you’re looking for a friend in Washington, get a dog,” Obama joked. “Our family was lucky enough to have two wonderful dogs. But I was even luckier to have a chance to spend eight years working day and night with a man who became a true partner and a true friend. Joe, it is now America’s good fortune to have you as president.”

“You have guided us through some perilous times,” the former president added. “You’ve built on and gone beyond the work we all did together to expand healthcare, to fight climate change, to advance social justice and to promote economic fairness.”

Obama told the crowd of his former staffers that “I’m thrilled to see that you started families of your own,” before adding: “I am a little disappointed that I haven’t heard of anyone naming a kid Barack or Michelle. But there is still time.”

Obama previously returned to the White House in April and got so much attention from guests that the UK’s Telegraph newspaper described Biden as appearing “lost” in the crowd. But Michelle Obama reportedly had not returned since January 2017.

Among the East Room guests were Rahm Emanuel — Obama’s first White House chief of staff and Biden’s current ambassador to Japan — and longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.

‘It’s a reunion and a festivity and a perfect day at the White House,” Jarrett said in an MSNBC interview ahead of the event.

“[Obama] is still the most popular person in the party outside of the president himself and I’m sure he will be welcomed on the campaign trail,” she said when asked about the midterm elections.

Jarrett, now president of the Obama Foundation, also said the ex-president is particularly interested in working to root out “disinformation” online — a term critics say is wielded by Democrats and Big Tech to censor disfavored viewpoints and reporting, including information that can later gain broader acceptance.

“At the Obama Foundation, one of the things President Obama is focusing on is, how do we strengthen our democracy? What’s the role of government? What’s the role of business? What’s the role of individual citizens? What do we do about all this disinformation? How do we get the truth out?” Jarrett said.

Ironically, other East Room guests included former CIA directors John Brennan and Leon Panetta — who stand accused of spreading their own disinformation by casting doubt on the accuracy of The Post’s October 2020 reporting on documents from Hunter Biden’s laptop that implicated Joe Biden in his son’s overseas business dealings.

Although Biden was Obama’s vice president for eight years and the men attested to their personal relationship repeatedly Wednesday, there are indications that they weren’t particularly close.

After taking office last year, Biden admitted that he had never been to the White House “residence” or living quarters during Obama’s presidency. The residence has a sitting area and presidential office, in addition to bedrooms.

Obama, a freshman senator from Illinois when he won the 2008 Democratic nomination, picked Biden as his running mate in an apparent effort to balance the Democratic ticket with a more experienced politician with decades of DC experience.

Trump frequently mocked Biden’s poor performance in the 2008 Democratic primary, saying that Obama plucked “1% Joe” off the “trash heap.”

Ahead of the 2020 campaign, Obama reportedly discouraged Biden from running for president.

“You don’t have to do this, Joe, you really don’t,” Obama said in 2019, according to the New York Times.

In private conversations with other people, Obama reportedly was even more direct in expressing doubt about Biden, telling one fellow Democrat, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up,” Politico reported.

The former president even reportedly told a different 2020 candidate, “You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden.”