Q: A couple of my friends insist that President Barack Obama lives a more lavish lifestyle than any president before him, traveling with his personal chef, etc. Can you comment on this?
—Tommye Morris, Tucker
A: Much of the basis of these claims are from a March 2013 quote from former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann that stated Obama lives a "lifestyle" that includes the "perks and the excess of the $1.4 billion-a-year presidency that we're paying for."
The Washington Post disproved those remarks, in which Bachmann also said there are five chefs on Air Force One, two projectionists at the White House and a personal dog walker.
Bachmann likely used information from the book “Presidential Perks Gone Royal,” by lobbyist Robert Keith Gray, the Post reported.
The $1.4 billion total likely includes the cost of presidential security, the Post reported. There are cooks on Air Force One who prepare food for everybody on board and projectionist has been a White House staff position spanning many presidents.
There isn’t a personal dog walker, the Post reported. White House groundskeeper Dale Haney often walks the Obamas’ dog, as he’s done for presidents dating to Richard Nixon.
Reggie Love, the president’s former personal assistant, was once misidentified as Obama’s personal dog walker.
“But there is big difference between ‘perks and excess’ and security necessary to protect the president,” the Post wrote. “So using the broad $1.4 billion figure is fairly misleading in that context.”
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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