Obamas to holiday with gay friends on leaving the White House
Barack and Michelle Obama’s post-presidency plans have been revealed, 24 hours ahead of their departure.
The outgoing POTUS and FLOTUS will be leaving Washington DC for sunny Palm Springs, California.
They’ll be holidaying with their longtime friends, the outgoing US ambassador to Spain, James Costos and his husband, Michael Smith, according to TMZ.
Michael Smith has been interior designer for the White House since the Obamas moved in in 2008.
And although they’ll be leaving the White House, they won’t be leaving their palatial surroundings.
The couple live in a palatial home spread over eight acres as part of the Thunderbird Heights gated community in Rancho Mirage, near Palm Springs.
It’s the Obama’s fifth time visiting the home, however, so they should know their way around the property by now.
Following the inauguration, the Obamas will take a helicopter from DC heading for Andrews Air Force Base.
From there they’ll take a flight at 2:45PM in Special Air Mission 29,000, using the same plane Obama used as president – though it won’t be called Air Force One for the journey.
It’s expected he’ll arrive in California late afternoon, where police presence is expected to be intense as the family settle into civilian life.