
Outrageous Barack Obama meet-and-greet cash grab as $70m ex-president hosts London event
But the meet-and-greet with the former president will set you back a pretty penny, with tickets costing as much as $2,430 (£1,790).
The 63-year-old's An Evening With President Barack Obama event will come to London's O2 Arena on September 24.
Four VIP packages are currently available event organizer Seat Unique's website, ranging from $671 (£495) to more than $1,214 (£895) depending on the selected ticket package.
The $1,214 dining package is nearly sold out with only six tickets remaining.
It includes a four-course meal at the Gaucho steakhouse, a glass of champagne, a seat in the first ten rows at the O2, access to the Seat Unique Club afterparty, and a copy of Obama's book.
General admission seats for the event, with out all the bells and whistles of premium packages, are available for $172 (£127) each, according to Ticketmaster.
A top tier VIP option, which according to the Evening Standard is only sold in pairs, will offer guests an opportunity to pose for a photo with Obama, subject to security clearance.
The package is understood to be more expensive than the dining package, with the newspaper suggesting it will cost at least $2,430.
However, the Daily Mail could not independently verify that price as these tickets appear to have already sold out.
The cheapest hospitality package, titled the premium ticket, costs $671 per ticket and offers guests guaranteed premium seating, priority access to the arena, a welcome drink at the Seat Unique Club, post-show access to the club and a copy of Obama's new book.
Two other hospitality packages - the Seventh Row and Seat Unique Club packages -cost $745 (£549) and $1,800 (£795), respectively.
Tickets went on sale Thursday, with organizers having reportedly set aside 100 seats for charitable organizations.
It is unclear if Obama, worth an estimated $70 million, will be donating any of the profits or ticket sales to charity or if he and Seat Unique will be pocketing the funds.
Daily Mail has approached Seat Unique for further information.
The event will see the president be interviewed by British-Nigerian historian David Olusoga.
Obama is expected to speak about his experiences as a two-term US president and his thoughts on the future of the nation.
The event organizers, in a statement to the Standard, said they are 'incredibly honored to bring President Obama to the UK'.
'His message of unity and progress resonates deeply, and we anticipate an evening that will inspire and empower all who attend,' the statement said.
'We believe in providing exceptional experiences, and this event perfectly aligns with our mission to connect people with inspiring moments.'
Obama is a highly regarded speaker and in 2022 won an Emmy for best narrator for his work on the Netflix docuseries Our Great National Parks.
He also previously won a Grammy for his audiobook reading of both his memoirs.
But Obama's high-dollar prices are arguably a bit steep, with the top level ticket costing more than double what London-based Beyoncé fans paid to see her Cowboy Carter Tour last month
But Obama's high-dollar prices are arguably a bit steep, with the top level ticket costing more than double what London-based Beyoncé fans paid to see her Cowboy Carter Tour last month.
VIP tickets for the president's event are also more than twice the cost of premium tickets to some of the UK's most anticipated including the Oasis reunion tour, which is current underway, and Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour last year - both of which sold out.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Zelensky pledges summit with Trump and Putin to discuss Ukraine war truce
& Andrew Feinberg Volodymyr Zelensky stated his readiness to participate in a joint summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to discuss a resolution to the war in Ukraine. This pledge was made during a cordial meeting with Trump at the White House, which followed Trump's recent encounter with Putin. Trump affirmed that both European countries and the United States would contribute to securing a long-term peace for Ukraine, clarifying that American troops would not be deployed on the ground. The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement opposing any presence of Nato troops on Ukrainian territory, timed with the arrival of European leaders at the White House. Prior to his meeting with Trump, Zelensky had coordinated with senior European leaders, stressing Ukraine's readiness for a genuine truce and a new security framework. Zelensky says he's ready to talk to Trump and Putin to end war in Ukraine


Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The UK's least affordable cities to live revealed as renters hand over more than a THIRD of their wages to landlords every month
The UK's least affordable cities have been revealed, with renters now handing over more than a third of their wages to landlords every month. Individuals renting across England were forking out up to 36.3 per cent of their income on rent alone in 2024, new data has revealed. This marks an increase of more than 33.1 per cent compared to 2023, with rent prices now officially above the 30 per cent threshold that the ONS deems affordable. The significant new findings have prompted calls for rent regulation across the UK, as tenants desperately struggle to match the unprecedented rise in rent prices. London has taken the top spot as England's most expensive city, with average rents of a whopping £1,957 per month seen across the capital. This equates to roughly 41.6 per cent of a typical renter's income, setting tenants back hugely. Meanwhile, in the affluent London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, average renters were spending a whopping 74.3 per cent of their gross earnings on rent. Other notably unaffordable London boroughs included Westminster (55. 8 per cent), Wandsworth (54 per cent), and Camden (51.7 per cent). All of the 32 council areas across London have been above the 30 per cent affordability threshold for eight of the nine financial years ending 2016 to 2024. The picture looked similarly bleak for prospective renters in large cities such as Bristol, Bath and Brighton. In Bristol, renters were forking out 44.6 per cent of their income on rent each month, while in Bath and North East Somerset tenants were paying up to 42.7 per cent and in the popular seaside hub of Brighton this figure stood at 42.6 per cent. Meanwhile, those in popular commuter towns such as Sevenoaks and Watford have also seen their average rent rise above the 30 per cent threshold. Monthly rents across England averaged at £1,232, compared with £3,396 of monthly household incomes, representing a stark difference. In other areas of the UK, rental affordability seemed to be slightly less of a distant dream, with rents found to be below the 30 per cent threshold in Wales and Northern Ireland last year. Indeed, affordability increased in Wales, from 26.3 per cent of an average renter's income in 2023 to 25.9 per cent in 2024. In Northern Ireland, rental prices remained relatively unchanged, having increased slightly from 25.1 per cent to 25.3 per cent in the span of a year. were relatively flat with the ratio ticking up to 25.3% from 25.1%. Affordability also improved in the North East, North West, East Midlands and South East. The North East of England was found to be England's most affordable region, with average rents at £641 per month, amounting to 19.8 per cent of income. Explaining the findings, Sarah Coles, head of personal finance for Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Renters faced a horrible squeeze on their incomes, and there's every sign it has got worse since. 'Landlords are continuing to sell up - concerned about higher costs from more regulation and more tax. 'It means more tenants chasing dwindling numbers of properties, so rents are continuing to rise.' Ms Coles added that any wage increases have been 'consistently outpaced' by a growth in the private rental market. 'At the same time, although wages have risen impressively, they have been consistently outpaced by private rental increases.' Meanwhile, Joseph Elliott, lead analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said the data indicates an urgent need for the government to 'tackle unaffordable rents, frozen housing support, and a chronic shortage of social housing.' He told The Guardian: 'High rents are locking people out of their homes and driving poverty and homelessness.' Labour's Renters' Rights Bill, set to become law next year, plans to prohibit landlords from relisting a property with higher rent until at least six months after tenants have moved out - where they have ended a tenancy in order to sell a property. The Government previously said the end of a private rental contract is 'one of the leading causes of homelessness'. But Labour's homelessness minister was forced to resign earlier this month after she was accused of 'staggering hypocrisy' amid claims she ejected tenants from one of her homes, before putting it back on the market for an extra £700 a month rent. Rushanara Ali, who had championed the bill, which is currently going through Parliament, hiked rent on a property she owns by hundreds of pounds just weeks after the previous tenants' contract ended. Ms Ali, 50, has repeatedly cast herself as a voice for hard-up tenants, and spoke out against private renters 'being exploited and discriminated against'. Her actions would have been illegal under this proposed law. The new ONS figures also come amid a rise in the number of Gen z students giving up the chaotic joys of student digs at university to instead live with their mum and dad due to rising rent costs. Nearly a third of 18-year-old applicants in the UK for the academic year 2024-25 planned to stay at home, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) said earlier this month. This some 30 per cent figure is more than double that seen around 20 years ago, the Times reports - and also the highest recorded in this same timeframe. In 2007, only 14 per cent of teens said they would not be moving out during their studies - and even more recently, in 2015, this figure had only risen to 21 per cent. Stay-at-home student living started to peak sharply after the Covid pandemic, which saw families get used to rubbing along together at home during lockdowns. It came after a similar rise after the 2008 financial crash, after which family budgets suddenly became tight. Passing on student accommodation is particularly common in London, where rents are famously high, and Scotland, where students go tuition fee-free. Meanwhile, applicants in Wales, the south east and throughout the south west seem largely to stick with a traditional student room. The most common reasons mentioned for living with the parents were saving money (64 per cent) and being near family (46 per cent), as per a survey of 1,000 UK students by Leeds Beckett University. More than half (53 per cent), meanwhile, said it motivated them to consistently attend classes - perhaps with mum and dad there to keep them in line. Ucas chief executive Jo Saxton pointed out some students stay at home as it is close to the best course or university for them or to caring and family responsibilities. But the former school leader emphasised, generally speaking: 'More needs to be done to ensure the cost of living doesn't become a limit on young people's ambition.'


BreakingNews.ie
26 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Trump says Washington talks could lead to ‘trilat' with Ukraine and Russia
Donald Trump has said that meetings with European leaders could pave the way for three-way talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the US amid his drive to end the fighting in eastern Europe. The US president is hosting several European leaders at the White House on Monday, including the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Advertisement Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside Mr Zelensky, Mr Trump said he would phone the Russian president after the talks. 'I think if everything works out well today, we'll have a trilat, and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,' the US president said. He later added: 'If we don't have a trilat, then the fighting continues.' Vladimir Putin, who Mr Trump met on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, is set to receive a phone call once the talks have 'finished', the president said. Advertisement 'We're going to have a phone call right after these meetings today and we may or may not have a trilat.' Asked about 'Nato-like protection' for Ukraine, Donald Trump replied: 'I don't know if you define it that way, but Nato-like? I mean, we're going to give, we have people waiting in another room right now, they're all here, from Europe. 'Biggest people in Europe. 'And they want to give protection, they feel very strongly about it, and we'll help them out with that.' Advertisement Mr Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff had suggested that measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. The Ukrainian president wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House. President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/PA) His attire appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February, when he was wearing a black polo bearing the Ukrainian coat of arms and the US president said: 'He's all dressed up today.' In their latest meeting, Mr Trump indicated he agreed with a reporter who described Mr Zelensky as looking 'fabulous in that suit'. Advertisement Mr Zelensky earlier said he wanted to thank first lady of the United States Melania Trump, who on Friday penned a plea to Mr Putin, imploring him to protect the 'innocence' of children. 'Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all – so that every soul may wake to peace and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded,' she wrote. Mr Zelensky presented Mr Trump with a letter from his wife. Starmer, who met with Mr Zelensky and several other European leaders on Monday before arriving at the White House, had earlier said in a video posted to X: 'Everybody wants it to end, not least the Ukrainians. Advertisement 'But we've got to get this right. We've got to make sure there is peace, that it is is lasting peace and that it is fair and that it is just. 'That's why I'm travelling to Washington with other European leaders to discuss this face to face with President Trump and President Zelensky, because it's in everyone's interests, it's in the UK's interests that we get this right.'