Life after the presidency: What Obama does after leaving. The media were told what Obama will do after leaving the presidency of the United States. Where does Obama live after his presidency?
Now the attention of the whole world is focused on the person of the future head of the United States, Donald Trump. But what awaits the outgoing Barack Obama? What will he do when he leaves the White House? This question was asked by American journalists to the current American leader.
“You will very soon become unemployed, like many of the millennial generation. Will you start blogging? I heard that YouTube is the place to start,” CBS News reporters asked Obama. In response, Barack Obama joked that he might even become a taxi driver for Uber, hinting that being released from presidential obligations would open up broad opportunities for him.
But the first thing he will do after leaving the White House is get a good night's sleep. "I'm going to sleep for a couple of weeks," Obama said.
And then the 44th President of the United States intends to engage in various social projects. For example, it will continue to work to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youth and to ensure that girls receive the same education as boys.
George H. W. Bush (1989-93)
The age and health of 92-year-old Bush Jr. does not allow him to engage in active social activities. He suffers from Parkinson's disease and has to use a wheelchair. But this did not stop Bush Sr. from jumping with a parachute on his 90th birthday. For safety reasons, Bush Sr. made the jump in tandem with an experienced Army paratrooper.
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
After his presidency, Bill Clinton has been active in public work and is a member of various public political and charitable organizations. For example, after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, he visited this country and provided assistance to the victims. And the UN Secretary General even asked Clinton to take over the coordination of international assistance to the Haitians.
In the same year, Bill Clinton was urgently hospitalized in a New York hospital with a complaint of heart pain, after which he underwent heart stent surgery. After this, Bail Clinton became a vegan - a supporter of the strictest form of vegetarianism, which excludes all consumption of foods "the vegan diet saved his life." Clinton was actively involved in Barack Obama's campaign during the 2012 presidential election.
George W. Bush (2001-09)
George W. Bush, in his spare time, publishes memoirs, which, incidentally, bring him a good profit. In one of his books called “Moments of Choice,” he tells, for example, how he overcame alcoholism. In it, he admits that he began abusing alcohol in his student years, and could not overcome the addiction for decades, until at the age of forty he turned to religion and a healthy lifestyle. “One of the most important steps in my life was the decision to fight alcoholism,” Bush Jr. recalls. These kinds of memoirs pay well. The publisher paid him $7 million for the revelations.
During the first six months of the presidency Donald Trump, which were marked by a series of accusations and revelations that threatened the head of the United States with potential impeachment, his predecessor was somewhat forgotten.
Meanwhile, the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama On August 4, 2017, he celebrated his 56th birthday. According to the canons of world politics, his age is almost young, however, having spent two terms in the White House, Obama has exhausted the limit of being in the presidential chair.
Social guarantees for the “first person”: pension, treatment, security and state funeral
Barack Obama became the fifth living retired US president. His “colleagues” are much older - George Bush Sr. celebrated his 93rd birthday in June 2017, Jimmy Carter Turns 93 in October Bill Clinton one of these days it will hit 71, and George W. Bush celebrated his 71st birthday in July.
Like all his predecessors, Obama is endowed with a whole range of benefits guaranteed by law.
In March 2016, Barack Obama ensured that pension payments to former US presidents would increase by 17.9 percent from 2017. Thus, Obama's annual pension is about 240 thousand dollars a year, and tax is also charged on this amount.
In addition to the pension, the state pays the ex-president the costs of maintaining administrative and technical personnel, transport and postal expenses, as well as other needs, including food.
During the first 30 months from the moment of resignation, Obama will be paid an amount to maintain a team of assistants. We are talking about 96 thousand dollars a year.
A retired president is entitled to Secret Service protection. The security of “retirees” is carried out by the same people as the security of the current head of state.
Until 1997, the Secret Service was assigned to the ex-president for life, but now he retains this right only for the first 10 years from the date of resignation.
The former first lady has the same security rights, but only if she does not succeed her spouse. The children of the ex-president are considered specially protected persons until they reach adulthood.
The ex-president and his family members have the right to free treatment in military hospitals. They receive this benefit in accordance with the special instructions of the US Secretary of Defense. In the event of the death of the former first person, his widow retains the right to medical care.
The funeral of the ex-president is organized at the expense of the state, but 56-year-old Barack Hussein Obama, apparently, is not eager to rush into it.
Vacation in Polynesia and a new house next to the Russian attache
So what has Obama been doing for the past six months?
Having handed over matters to Trump, the ex-president and his wife went to French Polynesia, where they spent a long vacation. Obama had an active holiday - kitesurfing, delighting his billionaire friend Richard Branson, as well as a Hollywood star Tom Hanks.
After swimming and sunbathing, Obama made his way to New York, where he and his daughter attended a play on Broadway. The ex-president did not make any loud statements while on vacation, enjoying the fact that he did not have to express his point of view on any matter.
After leaving the White House, contrary to expectations, Obama did not return to Chicago, where his career began. Together with his family, he decided to stay in Washington, at least until his youngest daughter Sasha graduates from school.
In May 2016, Barack Obama rented a mansion near Kalorama Park, a 15-minute drive from the White House. The territory on which the mansion is located is 2800 square meters, and the house itself has an area of 760 square meters. The house has 9 living rooms and 8 bathrooms, on the territory there is a garden, a lawn for grilling and space for a vegetable garden that he loves to work with Michelle Obama. In the area where the family of the 44th president settled, five former presidents lived before him. Obama pays $22,000 a month to rent the mansion. The only disadvantage of this house is that the office of the defense attache of the Russian Embassy in the USA is located nearby. However, unlike Trump, no one suspects Obama of working for Russia yet.
Discussion with Merkel and rafting in Indonesia
Barack Obama's first public appearance after leaving office took place on April 24, 2017 - it was a meeting with students at the University of Chicago. The topic of the speech was the involvement of young people in politics.
From now on, the ex-president alternates tourist trips with public appearances.
On May 9, Obama gave a speech on food security and climate change in Milan, on May 25, along with Angela Merkel took part in a discussion in Berlin, where in the presence of citizens they discussed the migration crisis, the fight against terrorism and disarmament, and on June 6, the ex-president made a report at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.In May, Obama also received the Deutscher Medienpreis (German Media Award) in Baden-Baden and played golf in Scotland, where he also attended a charity dinner organized by the Hunter Foundation.
In June, taking his wife and daughters, Obama traveled to Indonesia, where on the island of Bali he took up rafting by rafting down the Ayung River. The next day, the Obama family visited the ancient temples of Tirta Empul and Borobudur. Obama, who spent four years in Jakarta as a child, also visited the city and spoke to the local public.
Obama's Memoirs Expect Financial Record
All these events, however, do not answer the question of how Barack Obama sees his future. Experts have little doubt that the 44th president, following the example of his predecessors, will write memoirs. It is possible that work on them is already underway.
Obama was predicted to work in Silicon Valley and the role of special envoy for the peaceful resolution of conflicts (Obama’s “colleague” Jimmy Carter, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for this, did an excellent job in the role of “peacemaker”). But so far the 44th president is in no hurry to make a choice.
What is certain is that Barack Obama is not in danger of financial difficulties. And it's not just about the state pension.
Experts believe that the memoirs of the 44th US president could break the record set by Bill Clinton, who earned $15 million from such a book. The potential of Obama's memoirs is estimated at 20-30 million dollars.
Another stable source of income for retired presidents is fees for lectures and speeches. For example, Bill Clinton earned $40 million from lectures in his first six years as former head of the United States. In his best years, Clinton earned up to $250,000 for one lecture abroad. George Bush Sr.'s income is somewhat more modest - he receives from 50 to 75 thousand dollars for one speech.
Considering Obama's popularity around the world and the fact that he became the first African-American to hold the post of US President, the 44th occupant of the White House is quite capable of surpassing Clinton's results in this category as well.
On the last day in the Obama White House, they announced the creation of a charitable foundation centered in Chicago.
Exactly 60 days ago, on January 21, 2017, Barack Obama’s 8 years in the White House ended. Instead, Donald Trump took over the Oval Office. However, Obama is only 55 years old and life goes on. Journalists found out how the 44th President of the United States lives after the end of his term.
Question one. For what money?
It would be a mistake to think that Americans are letting go of their former presidents, collecting a thread from the world. Obama is entitled to a lifetime pension of $200 thousand per year. In addition, while still president, he received $400 thousand in salary every year. Over 8 years, this amount amounted to $3.2 million.
True, the official salary and pension are only a small part of the former president’s income. In just 15 years, the Obamas could increase their income by $242 million, according to analysts from the American Institute in Washington.
As an example, they took the Clintons, who were able to earn $210 million over 15 years. Most of this money was received from public appearances and publications. Since 2001, the Clintons have made 729 appearances and earned $153 million.
According to the American Institute, Obama can earn even more.
“Obama is very smart, as is his wife Michelle. If they write a book of memoirs, then they can earn from $20 to 45 million from it alone. This does not count the $40 million that Obama earned from his two books written before 2008. "My Father's Dreams: A Story of Race and Inheritance" came out in 1995, and "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" came out in 2006, analysts say.
However, Obama has not yet spoken about his plans to write memoirs and give lectures, although this is not ruled out.
Question two. Where?
Even in the midst of the election campaign, Obama took care of where he would live after the White House.
Barack was expected to return to Chicago, where he began his career and where he has a home. However, the ex-president thought differently. At the end of his presidential term, he decided to remain in Washington until his youngest daughter Sasha finished school.
Therefore, back in May 2016, Obama rented the luxurious Kalorama mansion, a 15-minute drive from the White House. Five American presidents have already lived in this area after the end of their terms. Obama will be the sixth.
Built back in 1928, the house has an area of 760 sq. m. meters and consists of 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. There is a separate outbuilding for Barack Obama's mother-in-law Marian Robinson, who has been living with the president's family for 10 years.
Obama began moving his belongings on January 17, while still in office. Near the house there is a garden, space for Michelle's vegetable garden and a lawn for grilling. Monthly rent for Kalorama will cost $22 thousand.
If, from an everyday point of view, all the problems of the former president have been solved, then the most difficult question remains: what is Obama going to do next?
The president himself refuses to answer this question. "I just want to spend more time with my girls," he said during his final press conference as US president.
Since then, many American analysts have been building different theories about the former president’s employment. They can be divided into two groups: political and non-political.
Many political analysts hope that Obama will return to politics again after a short break.
“The Democratic Party now needs internal reform and the search for new leaders. Obama is only 55 years old, still young and full of energy. I think he can devote himself to the idea of reviving the party,” said Peter Trubowitz, a professor at the London School of Economics.
Back in October 2016, AOL founder Steve Case said that the ex-president could work on the latest technologies in Silicon Valley. “I know that in 2016, Obama and his wife Michelle visited California at least 10 times. I wouldn't be surprised if Obama focuses on new technologies after leaving office," he said.
In addition, as noted by American media, a number of supporters of the former American president already work in such large companies as Uber, Amazon, GoFundMe and Apple.
However, these forecasts are more like fortune telling on coffee grounds.
As for Obama himself, he and his wife Michelle did not stay for Donald Trump’s inauguration on their last day in the White House, but flew to vacation in the resort town of Palm Springs, California. After that, Barack and Michelle accepted the invitation of Virgin founder Richard Branson and went on vacation to the island that belongs to the billionaire.
After the end of his presidential term, the former head of state does not have to worry about how to earn a living. He is entitled to a pension equivalent to the salary of a first-class government official. The former family also receives security, free treatment in a military hospital, and even the right to a funeral at state expense. It also pays for staff, transport, mail and other needs, including food. The only trouble is that after two terms he still has to leave the White House forever, and even though he tried to return there in a new capacity, he failed.
Barack
US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle in the White House garden, October 2016
Mike Theiler/ReutersWhat the 44th President of the United States will do now is still unknown. In one of the interviews, he talked about plans to find a job through the social network LinkedIn, which, however, was more like a joke. The family decided not to leave Washington until the ex-president’s youngest daughter finishes school. Obama, his wife and children moved to the prestigious Kalorama neighborhood - it is likely that Barack Obama will write his new book here.
The first of them was published back in 1995, after 28-year-old Obama became president for the first time in 1990 (at that time it was just The Harvard Law Review, but it was a huge achievement). The autobiographical book was called “Dreams from My Father,” in which Barack Obama talked about racial identity, about his father, who was rather a mythical figure for him. In 2004, when Obama entered the Illinois State Senate, the book was republished. In 2007, the book “The Audacity of Hope” was published (hope came true a year later), and in 2010 another one, “I Sing of You: A Message to My Daughters.”
In December 2016, an Obama adviser said in an interview that Obama would begin writing a new book as soon as he finished his presidency. It could become a support for a new stage in Obama’s political career, which, of course, is too early to end.
-Jr
Former US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura during a visit to Zambia, 2011
Macson Wasamunu/ReutersGeorge Jr., after leaving the presidency in 2009, moved with his family to Dallas. Here he purchased a house with an area of 790 square meters. m. on a plot of 0.5 hectares in a prestigious area. According to the portal of American realtors Zillow, the property cost approximately $3.5 million. The house has four bedrooms, each with a bathroom, a fireplace, a swimming pool, a garage and two parking spaces.
In retirement, the former president leads a social life, frequenting local events and inviting neighbors to barbecues, he quickly integrated into Dallas society.
Bush established a presidential library named after himself, the main areas of which are education, global health, civil liberties and economic progress. Income also comes from paid appearances and income from the publication of his memoirs, “Decision Moments.”
Inspired by the example, Bush Jr. began to draw. The hobby captured him so much that in 2014 he opened an exhibition of his personal paintings at the Presidential Library. "The Art of Leadership: The President's Personal Diplomacy" consisted of 30 portraits of famous politicians, including Vladimir Putin, and George W. Bush. In 2016, it became known that an album of the ex-president with portraits of military personnel was being prepared for publication.
Bush Jr. is also involved in charity work. In particular, it raises funds for wounded veterans, including participants in the annual 100-kilometer mountain bike ride and the Warrior Open golf tournament. He also traveled to Africa to promote programs for research into cervical cancer and post-traumatic stress.
Bill Clinton
Former US President Bill Clinton visiting a UN Development Program project in the capital of Haiti, 2011
Felix Evens/ReutersIn the last days of his presidency in January 2001, Bill Clinton, by coincidence, already became the husband of a senator from the state of New York: without waiting for the end of his presidential term, his wife Hillary decided to run for the Senate and took office on January 3, 2001. After leaving the White House, the Clintons settled in Washington in a five-bedroom brick cottage. House with an area of about 500 sq. m was built in 1951 and cost almost $3 million.
After his resignation, ex-President Clinton accumulated a large amount of debt to the lawyers who defended him in the Lewinsky case.
Bill Clinton gives paid lectures. He founded the Clinton Foundation, which works to combat the HIV epidemic, global climate change, and poverty. And, of course, he continues to play the saxophone - it was this hobby of his that at one time helped him win the sympathy of the whole world. President-saxophonist - what could be cuter? In 1992, during the election campaign, he played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show. The same saxophone was exhibited at the Celebrating Sax: Instruments and Innovation exhibition at the MET in New York in the summer of 2016.
When Bill Clinton ended his political career, his wife continued to engage in politics - she took the post of US Secretary of State in 2008, having previously lost the primaries to Barack Obama, participated in the 2016 presidential election, but lost. Thus, last year Bill Clinton missed the chance to become the first gentleman of the United States for the first time in history. However, Hillary is not going to end politics just yet, so all is not lost for Bill.
George
41st President of the United States George Herbert Walker Bush fishing with his son, 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, 2007
Brian Snyder/ReutersAfter his presidency, George Bush and his wife returned to their native Houston. Like many retired presidents, George H. W. Bush made good money from paid lectures. He also advised his sons on political issues (his son Jeb Bush was governor of Florida and ran for the primaries in 2016). To perpetuate his name, Bush Sr. began creating a presidential library and museum.
In recent years, Bush has been suffering from Parkinson's disease and has to use a wheelchair. However, he remains cheerful and can serve as an inspiring example for his peers.
Every five years, Bush Sr. celebrates his birthday with a skydive.
He also sets fashion trends: his incredible socks (including hot pink, with cacti, with his own portrait against the background of the American flag, with Superman and many others) have been the subject of numerous photo reports in the media. He's the life of the party: In 2012, after spending a month in the hospital with bronchitis, Bush entertained doctors and nurses with choral singing. Recently, the former president suffered from pneumonia and spent several days in intensive care - poor health did not allow 92-year-old Bush Sr. to attend the inauguration of the new Republican president. However, on January 22 it became known that the retired head of state had been discharged from the hospital.
Former US President Jimmy Carter visiting a Habitat for Humanity project in Thailand, 2009
Phichaiyong Mayerku/ReutersJimmy Carter assumed the presidency of the United States 40 years ago: he served as head of state from 1977 to 1981. He is now 92 years old, just a few months younger than George H. W. Bush. Having retired, he did not want to say goodbye to his political career. Carter created a presidential library in Atlanta, founded, in which, together with his assistants, he tried to solve international problems. In addition, he was involved in helping the poor, building housing for the poor, fighting diseases in Africa and was a mediator in the Yugoslav conflict.
During his presidency, Carter was closely involved in resolving foreign military crises. In retirement, he tried to make the most of his experience in resolving them.
Carter served as a freelance ambassador for various international missions, resolved disputes between countries, fought for fair elections, and advised presidents on Middle East issues. He has published more than 20 books, including a memoir, a collection of poems, and a children's book illustrated by his daughter.
