Obama Spoiled His Spouse

The First Lady’s vacation in Spain infuriated the public.

The four-day vacation of the U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama to the south of Spain caused much criticism from the Americans, who considered the trip too lavish for the times of the economic crisis. While the European press followed Barack Obama’s wife’s and younger daughter Sasha’s every step, preventing them from enjoying their vacation, American bloggers discussed the trip costs, which do not reflect the concerns of the head of the White House about the necessity to tighten the belt during the difficult times for the country.

“But while most of the country is pinching pennies and downsizing summer sojourns — or forgoing them altogether — the Obamas don’t seem to be heeding their own advice,” writes the New York Daily News. The issue mentions several details about the First Lady’s stay in Spain: Michelle Obama stayed in posh, five-star hotel Villa Padierna in Marbella with her daughter, where the price of a room on average is $2,500 per night. According to CNN, the woman is accompanied by about 40 friends and 60 White House Secret Service agents. All together they occupy about 60–70 rooms, about the third of the hotel. “Michelle Obama seems more like a modern-day Marie Antoinette — the French queen who spent extravagantly on clothes and jewels without a thought for her subjects’ plight — than an average mother of two,” continues the New York Daily News. The Chicago Sun-Times calculated that by the end of summer the First Lady will have made eight short trips.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs rushed to reassure the taxpayers that the First Lady and her friends’ stay in Spain was paid with the personal funds of the vacationers. But that is only a fraction of the trip’s total cost. Twenty-four-hour protection by Secret Service agents and the exploitation of the airplane officially hired by the United States Air Force will be paid from the federal budget. According to the preliminary calculations, one day of such a vacation by Michelle Obama costs $80,000 for the American taxpayers.

Spanish press only makes situation worse by irritating Americans with new details. In Grenada, the First Lady and her daughter enjoyed ice cream, and during their first dinner in Spain, which cost 50 euros for each person, they tasted sea wolf tartar, lobster, risotto with seaweed and strawberry gazpacho, according to El Mundo. The authorities of Costa Del Sol had to close down a large public beach, so that the U.S. president’s wife and one of his daughters would be able to relax while swimming in the sea. Other unprecedented precautions were taken during their sightseeing in the city of Ronda.

Fashion columnists, as always, paid much attention to Michelle Obama’s wardrobe on vacation. It is worth noting that the press is usually favorable toward the First Lady, especially when she appears in clothes by young American designers, thus promoting them outside the U.S. (Thakoon, Jason Wu, Maria Pinto) But frequently, the most fashion-savvy lady in the U.S. cannot resist the temptation of the leading European fashion houses, clothes from which cost from 1,000 to 4,000 euros. This time the U.S. President’s wife was posing for a picture in an asymmetrical top by Jean Paul Gaultier — the French designer. Journalists considered the top not only too expensive (about 13,000 euro) but also ugly.

Michelle Obama’s trip to Spain was closely watched by the European mass media, especially France, where the presidential couple Sarkozy-Bruni is also noted for their love of luxury and expensive trips. The First Ladies of the U.S. and France have a lot in common: they are distinguished by their passion for posh clothes from the world famous designers. Not surprisingly, Vanity Fair included the two ladies in their top ten most stylish people of the world, leaving out many actresses and women from the world of fashion.

However, to be fair to the Sarkozy couple, this year they decided against infuriating the journalists and went to Carla Bruni’s family villa in Cap Negre in the Mediterranean for vacation. There they will spend three weeks together, as opposed to their American colleagues, who often vacation separately.