President Obama Won’t Stay At Waldorf During NYC Trip With Daughters
The president will attend a fundraiser and spend time with his daughters.
— -- President Obama is spending this weekend in New York City, where he’ll attend a Democratic fundraiser tonight and enjoy some quality time with his teenage daughters, Malia and Sasha.
But one place he won’t be? The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which is now under Chinese ownership.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz confirmed that the president will not sleep at the landmark New York hotel. The White House would not say where the president would spend the night, citing security concerns.
For decades, the Waldorf Astoria has been the go-to retreat for visiting American presidents spending the night in the Big Apple. It’s also been home to the residence of the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
While not the first time Obama has chosen another hotel in New York City, it’s his first overnight visit since the Waldorf was taken over by the Chinese.
Last month, the Associated Press reported that the State Department would move its U.N. General Assembly operations from the Waldorf in light of its new owners. Some observers have speculated the changed stemmed from concerns about Chinese surveillance.
Neither the White House nor the State Department have confirmed a change in accommodations for September’s General Assembly meetings in New York, but they are not ruling it out.
“I just don’t know what sort of accommodations will be in place for the September trip. But as we get closer, we can give you some more details,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl last month.
The president will spend today and Saturday in New York City with his daughters.
“The president is looking forward to a rare opportunity that he’ll have to spend a little personal time with his daughters over the weekend,” Earnest said this afternoon.
The New York Post reports the president will attend a Broadway matinee of “Hamilton,” a musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton.
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