Obama's Trip to Africa Costs $100 Million

During the past few days, controversy has erupted in the United States over the trip that Obama is about to make from June 26 to July 3. It will cost taxpayers between $60 and $100 million (between 45 and 75 million euros). The Washington Post made the estimate after hearing some White House officials and developed a cost estimate that includes enormous security measures. They definitely will increase after the arrest of two men who, according to the FBI, plotted an attack with a futuristic X-ray weapon.

It is hard to make an exact estimation of the costs: “The infrastructure that accompanies the president’s travels is beyond our control,” said Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, to The Washington Post. “The security requirements are not White House-driven, they are Secret Service-driven.” The Secret Service is the agency responsible for the protection of the president and his family. According to the Post, thousands of agents will be deployed to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. Fighter jets will provide 24/7 aerial cover and an amphibious vehicle will follow the president’s movements from a safe distance in order to provide any type of medical assistance.

In total, they will move 56 means of transport — including 14 limousines —to Africa along with three trucks loaded with sheets of bulletproof glass to adequately reinforce the hotels’ windows.

The controversy is also about the presence of Obama’s family in Africa and the safari in Tanzania, initially organized for Obama’s daughters, Sasha and Malia. But the safari has been canceled because it was too expensive. However, Obama has not ruled out a visit to Robben Island in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner. One asks oneself: Is such a dangerous vacation really necessary for the Obamas? Any movement by a president requires, of course, a high level of security, even when going on vacation (whether in Hawaii or in Martha’s Vineyard). For Obama, in this case, it is both an official visit and a vacation. Moreover, even Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, to mention only the most recent presidents, also made trips to Africa. George W. Bush set foot there twice, in 2003 and 2008, bringing his wife along with him. The first trip also included Bush’s daughters Barbara and Jenna, who took part in a safari.