Presidents take vacations just like the rest of us. And why shouldn't they? It's a rough job. Despite the fact that they're completely different leaders and first families, Donald Trump's and Barack Obama's family vacations both seem pretty leisurely.
Though, a story about presidential vacations — especially these two presidents — should note that Trump spent the better part of Obama's presidency railing against him for taking too many golfing trips. But by August 2017, Trump had outpaced Obama in his time spent on the golf course. So there's that major difference right off the bat. Trump took to Twitter innumerable times to point out that Obama’s trips were costing taxpayers, but an analysis by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch found that eight years of Obama vacations cost just under $100 million. According to CNN, Trump’s trips during his first 80 days alone have cost $20 million.
Between bike riding and fishing, kitesurfing and skiing, both first families have spent their vacations in leisurely style.
President Obama's "Summer White House" was a $17.8 million mansion in Martha's Vineyard — an island off the coast of Massachusetts. There, Obama was often photographed taking family bike rides with Michelle, Malia, and Sasha.
Just days after announcing her split from husband Donald Trump Jr., Vanessa Trump posted photos of her kids playing in the sand on the beach at Mar-a-lago, the family crest.
In March 2016, during an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team in Havana, Cuba, Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro spontaneously joined in "the wave" that others in the crowd had started.
Last Christmas, Tiffany and Ivanka Trump gave us this bikini look, with some sort of angelic Snapchat filter after which, they were roundly mocked. Still, the brief glimpse of Mar-a-Lago in the background looks quite relaxing.
In September 2016, Obama sipped from a coconut during his visit in Luang Prabang, Laos. White House Photographter Pete Souza noted, "This was just after it was chopped open, splattering pieces of coconut on his shirt.”
He's just like us.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's son, Joseph, looked intrigued by a fish the two had caught while on vacation in Florida in December 2017. Ivanka posted the photo to social media.
Of course, this collection of photos went viral for a not-so-cute reason at the time. Followers quickly found that a passing boat was flying a Confederate flag. Leave it to social media to spoil your Confederate fun.
Most people acknowledged that it was more a funny coincidence than anything sinister.
Not technically a vacation, but First Lady Melania Trump visited the Great Wall of China in November 2017, and she seems happy? I think? She looks happy, right? I can't tell.
One of the biggest differences between official White House photos of the Obamas vs. the Trumps, is that when they're on vacation or traveling, Barron seems to always be missing.
Not technically a presidential vacation, but certainly worth documenting, Virgin Group founder and entrepreneur Richard Branson invited Obama to the British Virgin Islands immediately following the end of Obama's second term.
"One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became President, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii," Branson wrote in a blog post on Virgin's website. "When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: 'This will be the last time you surf for eight years.' For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved."
Judging by the size of Obama's grin in these photos and videos, he seemed happy to get back to his pre-presidential vacation days.
Trump, Trump Jr. and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Vanessa, relaxed at Mar-a-Lago last Christmas — where President Trump has spent a fair amount of time golfing during his presidency.
All this talk about vacation is making me feel like I need one.
