Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2011 as a news item set during the US recession and the Obamas’ summer 2011 vacation; the Spain trip it refers to took place in August 2010.
Michelle Obama has gained popularity in the United States, although not the kind of popularity that helps her husband. In the middle of the US recession, with millions of citizens juggling to make ends meet, the last thing the Obamas needed was for the cost of her vacations, among some other “excesses”, to come to light.
The first criticisms concern the use of official US government aircraft. The Obamas traveled to Europe on separate planes four hours apart. While Michelle Obama left on “Marine One”, her husband, Barack Obama, made the same trip four hours later on “Air Force One”.
According to sources including the website of a former White House reporter, Whitehousedossier.com, Mrs. Obama’s vacations have cost $10 million, with more than 90% of it paid with taxpayers’ money.
What are Michelle Obama’s indulgences?
It’s no secret that Mrs. Obama is drawn to five-star hotels, spas, massages and aggressive clothes shopping.
On her first stop in Spain (August 2010), in my home region of Granada, to be precise, Michelle Obama spent a total of roughly €375,000, according to the Daily Mail. She then rented a hotel suite in San Sebastián for four days (€2,000 a night) and a farm property (€50,000 a week).
Mrs. Obama likes to dine with the finest wines (€850 a bottle) at luxury restaurants (€2,350 for dinner for three).
But Michelle Obama‘s real passion is “shopping sprees”, and wherever she goes she can easily ring up more than €30,000 on a couple of garments.
In the United States she has been branded a compulsive shopper and accused of squandering public funds at a very delicate time for the American economy.
Michelle is taking advantage of her privileged position. While the hardest-working Americans can barely afford one or two weeks off work, Michelle Obama has taken a total of 42 days of vacation over the year, with public spending on her vacations adding up to $10 million.
Featured image: Joyce Boghosian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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