President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks at the Aragon Ballroom, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011, in Chicago, in Chicago, at a fundraiser on the eve of his 50th birthday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is expecting at least one birthday greeting when he turns 50 on Thursday.
“By the time I wake up, I’ll have an email from AARP asking me to call President Obama and tell him to protect Medicare,” Obama joked during a fundraiser in Chicago on the eve of his birthday.
Obama’s big birthday comes just days after he reached a deal with Republicans to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and avert a calamitous government default. While the mood around the White House hasn’t exactly been festive since the deal was reached – Obama didn’t get much of what he wanted – there will be plenty of celebration there today for the president’s 50th.
Senior members of Obama’s staff will toast the president in the Blue Room of the White House Thursday afternoon. At night, he’ll celebrate with family and friends, including some coming in from his hometown of Chicago, then cap the festivities with a weekend trip to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.
An administration official said the Obamas will pay for the president’s birthday party at the White House.