Barack Obama in Sydney: Locals slam ex-President’s ‘nuisance’ motorcade
Barack Obama enjoys a cup of coffee outside his Sydney hotel as locals are furious at his ‘awkward’ motorcade roaring through the city – while wife Michelle is chilling on a yacht ahead of his $350 pp speech
- Barack Obama transported by huge motorcade
- The locals of Sydney have slammed the ‘nuisance’ convoy
- Ex-president starts Tuesday with lucrative performance as a speaker
Sydney residents have spoken out about the huge motorcade that transports ex-President Barack Obama through the city.
Obama and his wife Michelle arrived in Australia on Sunday evening ahead of his tour and have since visited several venues, including the Opera House and Balmoral Beach.
The ex-president was spotted enjoying an afternoon coffee on Tuesday, while Michelle took to Mosman Bay in a yacht, cruising around the harbor for about an hour.
However, the pair have come under fire from the locals who have shot down the ‘troublesome’ motorcade transporting them across town.
Some have asked for information on who pays for the black four-wheel drive convoy, while others question why Obama has such a large security presence for an ex-president.
Former US President Barack Obama was spotted drinking late afternoon coffee on Tuesday
Former First Lady Michelle Obama leaves the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney. She was later seen enjoying a hunting trip in the north of the city
On social media, one critic asked, “Barack Obama is running across the country in a 20-vehicle motorcade.
Why is the NSW taxpayer bearing the cost of his detail? For God’s sake, he’s going to make $1 million or more from his speeches, so HE has to pay for it.’
Another wrote, “One can only hope that Barack Obama and his wife Michael waved to the homeless as he sped past in his taxpayer-funded motorcade.”
While a third said, ‘Flying on a private jet. Uses so many gas guzzlers & our cops because he’s “oh so important”.
“Teach us the lesson about climate change.”
Obama will speak Tuesday night at Aware Super Theater Sydney for “An Evening with President Obama.”
It is the first leg of a whistle-stop tour in which the former president will also speak in Melbourne on Wednesday.
The event will provide Australians – willing to spend between $195 and $895 – a first-hand account of the politician on his “path to success”.
Barack Obama made a good impression as he greeted fans ahead of his lucrative Tuesday night speaking event
Former US President Barack Obama (center) waves to onlookers after leaving the Bathers Pavilion in Balmoral on Monday
Obama was welcomed by swarms of fans Tuesday morning as he stepped out of the Four Seasons Hotel.
The security presence around the former president was massive on Tuesday, with throngs of police officers lining the streets outside the Four Seasons.
President Obama’s last official visit to Australia was for the G20 summit in Brisbane in November 2014 – and prior to disembarking from a private jet with Michelle on Sunday, he hadn’t been seen in public with his wife since last year.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received Obama at Kirribilli House on Monday morning.
The presidential couple were all smiles as they posed for the camera together, taking in the view by the harbor while holding black umbrellas amid a subtle drizzle.
“Honored to welcome President @barackobama to Sydney,” Albanese wrote the post on Twitter, which has since been viewed more than a million times.
President Obama’s last official visit to Australia was for the G20 summit in Brisbane in November 2014 – and prior to disembarking from a private jet with Michelle on Sunday, he hadn’t been seen in public with his wife since last year.