Thread: Obama rents tropical palace for Hawaiian Christmas

President 'oblivious to the burden he is placing on Americans'

President Obama has no need for Santa Claus on vacation when he can shift much of his tab onto the American taxpayer.

The Obamas arrived in Kailua, Hawaii, on Saturday for the eighth year in a row. Their costly Oahu getaway has been deemed a “paradise within a paradise” and a “tropical palace” by the Huffington Post.

This year’s luxury home, along with a “Winter White House” they rent when its available, costs somewhere between $5,000 to $10,000 a night throughout the year.

Other famous faces to vacation on the island retreat include Hollywood stars Angeline Jolie and Bradley Cooper, the website reported.

The nonprofit organization Judicial Watch, which regularly tracks expenditures of Obama’s vacations, estimated the round-trip cost of operating Air Force One at $3.7 million.

The president plans to return to Washington Jan. 2.

“The Obamas’ travel is out of control,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told AL.com Dec. 14. “They are treating the Air Force One like an Uber ride.

And President Obama seems oblivious to the burden he is placing on Americans with his continuous vacations, getaways, and political junkets at taxpayer expense.”

The organization’s accounting of Obama’s personal travel tallies $70.5 million since 2009. Trips taken in 2015 alone have accrued $11.6 million in travel costs

The White House argues that Obama’s trips include work-related activities.

“The president recognizes that he is president of the United States 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever he happens to be,” said White House spokesman Eric Schultz, McClatchy reported Dec. 17.

“We believe the American people would not begrudge their president for taking some downtime with his family around the holidays.”

Presidents are also required to pay for their own lodging, food and incidentals while on vacation.

Obama has taken 23 vacations spanning all or part of 177 days, the website reported. The Washington Post reported Aug. 15, 2014, that former President George W. Bush visited his Texas ranch 77 times during his eight years in office.

The cost of his trips was not provided.

The president spent much of Monday golfing at Mid Pacific Country Club in Lanikai with friends Greg Orme, Bobby Titcomb and Darrell Harrington.

The Obamas spent Tuesday walking 1,000 feet up the “Koko Crater,” a dormant cinder cone volcano on Oahu’s southeast side.

Read more at Obama rents ?tropical palace? for Hawaiian Christmas

Exposed: What Obama Is Doing EVERY DAY Of His Hawaii Vacation Is Shocking Americans

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen."

President Barack Obama once told Americans they cannot have everything they want.

Meanwhile, the presidential vacation to Hawaii is burning a hole in the federal budget to the tune of about $470,000 a day, according to federal documents provided to the taxpayer watchdog group Judicial Watch.

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said in 2008 while campaigning
for office.

“That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen,” he added.

However, according to documents just received by the watchdog group after two years of waiting, the Obama family vacation to Hawaii two years ago cost nearly $8 million.

The group, which has filed Freedom of Information requests to ascertain how much the Obamas spend while on vacation, estimates that Americans may have spent over $50 million for the seven winter vacations taken by the first family to date.

One more vacation is on tap for next year, when Obama will be a lame duck president.

“It seems our lawsuits finally got the attention of the Secret Service. It is easy to see why the Secret Service, reeling from its own scandals, covered up these outrageous expense numbers for just one of Obama’s luxury Christmas vacation,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

“The $317,000 in Secret Service expenses are only the tip of the iceberg for the true cost of Obama’s 2013 vacation in Hawaii, which has now skyrocketed to $8,098,060. It is nice to know that Obama’s ‘tradition’ of Christmas vacations in Hawaii comes courtesy of overburdened taxpayers.”

Judicial Watch found that in 2013-14, the Obamas spent $91,751.78 in car rental expenses.

$224,974.05 in accommodation expenses were paid to Cabana Girl, LLC and Paradise Luxury Rentals.

Judicial Watch said that all of Obama’s travelling has cost the American people $70,880,035.78.

“The Obamas’ travel is out of control,” Fitton said earlier in December. “They are treating the Air Force One like an Uber ride. And President Obama seems oblivious to the burden he is placing on Americans with his continuous vacations, getaways, and political junkets at taxpayer expense.”

Exposed: What Obama Is Doing EVERY DAY Of His Hawaii Vacation Is Shocking Americans