Once a president leaves office, your hard-earned money still goes to them for the rest of your or their life.
Most people already know this, but they get paid for the rest of their lives. But beyond that, we still have to pay for a number of expenses such as travel, office space, staff, and more carried by each former president of the United States.
But can you guess who the most expensive of all the living former presidents is?
It is none other than Barack Obama himself.
According to The New York Post,
Ex-President Barack Obama will be the costliest former commander-in-chief, with taxpayers shelling out $1,153,000 for his expenses in 2018, according to the Congressional Research Service.
His budget request is more than $100,000 higher than George W. Bush’s for next year and nearly $200,000 more than Bill Clinton’s expected budget.
George H.W. Bush is slated to get $942,000, while Jimmy Carter will get less than half that, at just $456,000, according to a memo prepared by the service.
So it appears as though the amount has gone up with each proceeding president with the exception of Bill Clinton (no surprise there). Maybe his costs will go down a bit since he won’t be flying out to Epstein’s mansion anymore.
The Washington Times also reports,
While most ex-presidents since Truman have found ways to make their life beyond the Oval Office financially rewarding, the taxpayer-funded perks have remained — and Mr. Obama is the latest to take them.
By far the biggest cost for ex-presidents is renting office space. Mr. Obama’s office — 8,198 square feet in D.C. — will cost taxpayers $536,000 next year, the most of any ex-president. Mr. Clinton’s New York office is bigger, at 8,300 square feet, but slightly cheaper at $518,000. The younger Mr. Bush’s office in Dallas is $497,000, while his father’s space in Houston is $286,000. Mr. Carter’s Atlanta office is just $115,000.
Why they need such a massive and expensive office is beyond me. They aren’t the president any longer. Sure they have speaking engagements and various events to attend, but does it really justify an 8,000+ square foot office space?