Presidential spending is always a sensitive subject. Who actually bears the brunt of the lavish lives they live? Who is responsible for the cost of every step they take outside the White House? Obama has been known to be the president with the highest government expenditure in history. According to US News, he has outspent the last five presidents.

Fair enough, a lot of the money that is spent is towards investment in economic growth, and Obama seems to be an all or nothing kind of guy. But, he has also been known to throw money at personal escapades such as a New York Date Night with Michelle, and has even earned himself the nickname of “Vacation Dad In Chief”.

As it turns out, the President is not the only flashy spender, The First Lady has no issues taking her makeup and hairstylist with on a trip to Africa (for educational purposes… one has to look good to earn respect we assume).

Here we take a look at 15 ways that Obama lived large in the white house… “Hey Big Spender….”

Air Force One

At $200 000 an hour, this presidential mode of transport is not to be confused with your average air-fare. Except for the actual running costs, every time Obama boards Air Force One, an entourage of security detail surrounds him. True, the most powerful man in the world needs protection, and in case of emergency, it is safer aboard Air Force One than on the ground.

Yet, lavish family holidays include the use of this air-bound gas guzzler. The debate stands that the president has a right to having a vacation, and that this is the price one has to pay to uphold the American presidency. The average American tax-payer might differ in sentiment.

Air Force One often bears the brunt of travelling costs – but a majority of these costs would be incurred regardless of whether the President was jet setting around the world or sitting in the oval office. Plane maintenance, inspections, security and storage are running costs that are often overlooked.

New York Visits

Every time Obama sets foot in New York, the financially strapped treasury of the Port Authority coughs up pennies to host his stay. President Obama’s trips to New York in 2012 cost tax payers well over $2 Million, which paid for anything from official appearances to champagne adorned fund-raisers.

Other costs include that of the overtime expenses suffered by the NYPD and the gridlocks that come with having the president paying the city a visit, as well as the cost of all the media coverage. It seems we cannot escape the fact that every time Obama graces us with his presence, we are bearing the brunt of the budget.

Taxpayer Funding Reelection Campaign

Any marketing campaign needs to have a clear cut strategy, and the winning strategies always come at a cost. As they say, high risk – high reward. This too, rings true for the Presidential Race. In an ideal world, the Democratic Party would reimburse the state for any costs incurred whilst running re-election campaigns, but the truth of the matter is that it’s not that simple. One could browse through the 18 pages of updated regulations on campaign travel that the FEC adopted (perfect for bedtime reading).

Trump is right in a sense that tax payers fund reelection campaigns to a certain extent. Every step the President takes comes with advance teams, armoured cars, Secret Service Protection, medical staff and more, these are all services the government pays for. If the costs of travelling were charged to the President, he would never make any political appearances.

Most Expensive Date Night In History

It’s tough enough raising a family and maintaining a marriage, imagine being the single most powerful man in the world - every move being scrutinized under a magnifying glass. Taking your wife for dinner and a Broadway show results in an internet frenzy about how insensitive you are whilst the rest of the world is in recession.

As we know, it costs a lot more for Obama to paint the town red than for the average citizen, but cut him some slack, it’s not by choice that he comes with a trail of security, and the White House can surely start feeling like a picket fence prison. The night out cost anything between $25 000 to $250 000 if Air Force One is accounted for. True this was a personal trip, but Obama hadn’t done anything different to the standard set by previous presidents.

Dog Walkers, Movie House Operators

Enter the East Wing of the White House and there you will find the White House Family Theatre. If this isn’t enough, it comes complete with its own movie theatre operators. Could they not simply push a few buttons themselves? The same could be said for their dog walkers, surely the Obama girls could walk their own dogs?

Although the above rings true, it has been said that the movie theatre operators are in house staff who have been trained to operate the theatre, they are not specialist staff simply for the Presidents entertainment. As for the walker of Sunny and Bo, Obama’s Portuguese water dogs, turns out it was the White House caretaker, who is simply a dog lover.

Hawaii In The Winter

Palm trees lining white sandy beaches, the sound of the ocean tickling the shore… this is the life of Vacation-Dad Obama at his plantation-style house in Kailua, now for sale at $8 million. The Obama’s often spent their Christmas holidays at this winter White House, frolicking about the white-sand beaches whilst dozens of Secret Service agents, military personnel and other government employees guarantee their safety and ease of travel.

The property’s interior covers a massive 7000 square feet and offers five and a half bathrooms, five bedrooms, a rock-walled pool and waterfall, three porches and breathtaking ocean views. This is hardly a moderate family getaway destination. The cost of this distinguished break from everyday life: $5000 to $10 000 per night – that can cover an entire month’s expenses for the average American, if not more!

Vacation-Dad-In-Chief

We are aware that the Obama’s enjoy their vacations, but what is the actual cost of all their trips? Turns out in his 8 year run as President, Obama spent an average of $10 million a year on vacations. Rather a large expenditure, and definitely not to the benefit of the nation… or is it? Surely a well rested, happy President is of more benefit than an exhausted one… but at an annual rate of $10 Million? Perhaps a trip to a spa would cost less.

Obama took a lot of flak for not cancelling his long planned Summer vacation in 2011 whilst the country was facing economic peril. He was accused of setting a bad example to all working fathers, as he was sending out the wrong messages to them regarding priorities. This isn’t fair though, as modern technology has people working 24/7. Even when Obama is on vacation, he has staff and his press office with him; he does not have the luxury of ever “checking out” whilst taking a break. This is most likely another reason why his vacations are as costly… as he is still running the country whilst soaking up some Vitamin D.

Shangri La Luxury

Turns out the President is not the only one who comes with a travelling crew. First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Shangri La in March 2014 cashed in at a whopping $222K – and this for only 2 days! Prior to her arrival, 21 rooms were booked for her team; this peaked at 144 rooms by the time she arrived for her stay.

She did consider staying at The Ritz-Carlton Chengdu, but their pricing was considerably higher (see, she does count her pennies), a price reduction was requested, but the costs still remained much higher. Another factor in choosing Shangri-La was the security consideration. Her party was allowed to occupy the top two floors for the visit.

Oh Africa

Mrs President’s stint to Africa in June 2011 cost taxpayers over $425 000. The White House claimed the trip was for youth leadership, education, health and wellness in South Africa. Of course she had her entourage, and the cost of transportation to and from Africa for all of them was $424,142 (34.8 flight hours at $12,188 per hour).

The educational trip also included a personal safari and a visit to Nelson Mandela. According to the passenger manifest, her entourage included her two daughters, her mother, niece and nephew. More interestingly, her makeup and hair stylist (couldn’t do her own for a while?

Martha's Vineyard In The Summer

The $17.8 million summer vacation mansion has been regularly frequented by the Obama’s. Complete with its own dock, heated infinity pool and basketball court, the 6 bedroom homestead is definitely above the average earner’s reach. Let’s not ignore that the 10 acre property has three of its own private beaches!

During Obama’s eight year term, he took his family to the estate every year, except in 2012. They would be seen playing golf, cycling together, white water rafting and dining at local restaurants – the painting of a perfect family! Even since stepping down from office, they still frequent Martha’s as it is a special place for them, but at least now Obama doesn’t require an over the top security detail.

Lavish Stores

Claims have been made that Michelle went on a lavish shopping spree with the Queen of Qatar, Sheikha Mozah. She had a part of Madison Avenue closed off to shop at the luxury lingerie shop, Agent Provocateur. We can understand the security risk – imagine the value of a photo of the first lady holding up a silky drawer? But, sources say the shopping spree totaled at $50 000!!!

Agent Provocateur wouldn’t disclose any information, and fair enough, Michelle would probably not want to share her taste in undergarments with the rest of the world (was online shopping not a thing back then?). It would be quite easy to spend this amount of money, as a single French lace nightie could cost up to $1990.

The Cost Of The Kingsguard

Bradley H. Patterson, former White House aide, claims that the cost of running the White House for a year is approximately $1.6 billion dollars. This equates to an average of $2 million dollars per day! The protection of the president and the white house accounts for almost 57% of that total! And that was 10 years ago! Apparently the budget very nearly doubles when the president is travelling.

Being the leader of the free world unfortunately comes with a costly price tag, and not much privacy as it may seem. Due to his high profile, and that of anyone in close connection with him, a huge team of Secret Service security agents are needed around the clock. The cost of security per annum for Obama was approximately $1.4 billion.

Camp David

The cost of maintaining Camp David, situated in the hills of Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland is up to $10 million a year. The sad part is, the presidents are frequenting this homestead less and less. The camp was built in the early 1930’s for federal employees to enjoy with their families. Speculations have been made that the property should be opened as a tourist attraction, which would at least benefit the locals.

Though he might not visit there anymore, at least he did some good in benefitting the place. That is all that could really be asked of him, as we are sure his busy presidential life did now allow for much travel (except apparently for vacations).

Over The Top Birthday Celebrations

How do the Obama’s celebrate the first daughter’s eighth birthday? By granting her a shopping spree in Paris for a weekend! To top this off, they had a Sunday brunch with French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife after which the Obama girls were treated to the Bonpoint flagship store. Michelle bought nothing less than three outfits for Sasha. The store is a known favorite of the Jolie-Pitts and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

Being the first family definitely has its perks, gone are the days of blowing out candles, blowing up balloons and shaking badly wrapped gifts to sneak a peak of what may be inside. Sasha doesn’t need a doll… she is one!

The Beast

The armorplated tank on tyres cashes in at a whopping $1.5 million dollars!!! Fully equipped with nightvision camera, tear gas canisters and a shotgun – enough toys to make Batman blush. The 8 inch thick doors are equal in weight to a Boeing 757’s doors! Obama’s driver, a Secret Service agent, is fully trained to maneuver the president out of any emergency situation – they even keep a few pints of his blood on board.

The fuel tank can’t even explode – it’s armoured and filled with special foam. Firefighting equipment and emergency oxygen is also on board. The tires are shred and puncture resistant – and if the tyres were destroyed, the steel rims could still drive at high speeds. Otherwise known as Cadillac 1, The Beast also has a steel plate along its base. The body of the car is designed to veer off any materials that try to penetrate it.