The sumptuous birthday party, organized by Barack Obama for his 60th birthday, earned him the nickname “
Barack Antoinette
” in the American press.
On August 7, a little less than 500 people gathered for the occasion in his house in Martha's Vineyard (Massachusetts).
Among the audience of invited celebrities, Erykah Badu, shared, without permission, photos and videos of the evening on Instagram.
We see the guests, without masks and little concerned with social distancing.
The event caused controversy, in the midst of the rebound of the Covid-19 epidemic in the United States.
The American singer apologized to the Obama clan on Twitter last Thursday.
Read also: Covid-19: Obama downsizes for his controversial birthday party
“
Please forgive me for being the terrible guest at such a sacred event for your family.
I was so disrespectful, thank you for your love, ”
said the American artist.
His gesture embarrassed the former presidential family, already strongly criticized at the announcement of the evening.
A controversial party
Barack Obama's team had tried to temper, a few days before the event.
"
Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to drastically reduce the event to include only family and close friends
," said spokesperson Hannah. Hankins.
Despite the precautions announced, we see in the images shared by Erykah Badu, the president on the dance floor, in a tent, in the middle of several guests. No one wears masks and the 44th President of the United States hugs one of the guests. These videos have caused an outcry as the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) - the main US public health agency - recommend wearing masks indoors, even for people who have been vaccinated.
Jay-Z, Beyoncé, George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Bradley Cooper were on the list of 475 guests. The guests were able to enjoy a vegan meal and wipe themselves off with paper napkins adorned with the golden numbers "
44x60
", in honor of the 44th President of the United States who celebrated his 60th birthday on August 4.
A party worthy of Gatsby which does not pass among the Republicans. "
Is there an exception for parties attended by wealthy Democratic celebrities?"
»Quipped Ronna McDaniel, leader of the Republican Party; “
Maybe we should start calling him the Obama variant
,” political commentator Stephen Miller said on Twitter. Same story for
New York Times
columnist
Maureen Dowd who summed up: “
This is such a perfect taxonomy of the Obama bow. As president he was not doing enough for things we needed. (...) After his presidency, he was doing too much for things we did not need.
".