Obama just posed for the "I'm GREAT!" pic you'd petty post after a breakup. pic.twitter.com/DkmjF6CgTJ
— Encyclopedia Black (@luckyturner) February 7, 2017

Since the inauguration of President Cheeto, Americans have been wrestling with the fact that the country is devolving into an authoritarian kleptocracy run by a group of people who literally don't know how to turn the lights on at the White House. Every morning brings a new barrage of terrifying headlines and infuriating tweets, protests happen multiple times a week, and more than half the country seems at the brink of self-immolation. We all could use a really chill vacation—kinda like the one President Obama just enjoyed.

Following a post-inauguration jaunt to Palm Springs, the Obamas escaped to Richard Branson’s private island just off the British Virgin Islands. They're now back in D.C., but during their time in paradise, Branson offered some surf-therapy to help Obama ease into his life as a private citizen once more.

Challenged @barackobama to a kitesurf vs foilboard learning contest - here’s what happened https://t.co/5hwjOvy2TK pic.twitter.com/wEGSjL2TAr
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) February 7, 2017

Loved offering @barackobama the chance to learn to kitesurf - here’s how he got on https://t.co/5hwjOvy2TK pic.twitter.com/jk3OEtDELq
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) February 7, 2017

Could I learn to foilboard before @barackobama learned to kitesurf? Love this video of our friendly battle https://t.co/5hwjOvy2TK pic.twitter.com/XJpj3Ps5bl
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) February 7, 2017

Branson wrote:

One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became President, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii. When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: “This will be the last time you surf for eight years.” For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved.
So it was tremendous to offer him the chance to learn to kitesurf. The sport has really taken off in the past decade and we have the perfect conditions and team to help anyone learn. I have also wanted to learn foilboard surfing. So we decided to set up a friendly challenge: could Barack learn to kitesurf before I learned to foilboard? We agreed to have a final day battle to see who could stay up the longest.

Find out who won in the video below.

Obama morphed into an ambulatory backward baseball cap so quick none of us saw it coming.

Obama's on vacation with the hat backwards. He's never coming back. pic.twitter.com/RUakcwwgtT
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 1, 2017