File this one under ‘Horribly Awkward For All Concerned’ – in a speech overnight, US President Barack Obama revealed how his credit card was declined last month as he tried to pay for a meal in a restaurant in New York.
BBC News report that Obama handed over his plastic, only to have it rejected. “It turned out I guess I don’t use it enough,” he said sheepishly. “They thought there was some fraud going on.”
The President, who earns an estimated $400,000 US a year, and also has an expense account, told the story during a speech at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“I was trying to explain to the waitress, you know, I really think that I’ve been paying my bills,” he continued, adding that even he is affected by credit card fraud.
Fortunately, Michelle was present, and was able to pay the tab on her card, possibly with a significant amount of eye rolling.
However awkward it was for the Obamas, imagine being the unfortunate restaurant employee who had to say ‘I’m sorry Mr President, but it looks like there’s a problem with your card ..”
If you’ve ever tried and failed to picture Katy Perry ducking off to the hardware store for a hot glue gun to perform some on-the-fly cupcake bra repairs, it’s now been confirmed for you that celebrities rarely actually handle their own money.
Photo: Nicholas Kamm via Getty Images
