Delta Variant Spreading... Obama’s No-Mask 60th Birthday Party

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 8th, American singer Erykah Badu, who attended former U.S. President Obama's birthday party, posted a photo on Instagram of former President Obama dancing without wearing a mask, but later deleted it. Photo by Erykah Badu Instagram capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the COVID-19 Delta variant spreads in the United States, with daily confirmed cases exceeding 100,000, a photo was leaked showing former U.S. President Barack Obama holding a microphone and dancing without wearing a mask at his 60th birthday party.

Since then, all photos of former President Obama’s 60th birthday party that were shared on social media (SNS), including this one, have been deleted.

The New York Post reported on the 8th (local time) that a party attendee secretly took photos of Obama’s 60th birthday party held the previous afternoon on Martha’s Vineyard, a luxury resort in southeastern Massachusetts, and shared them on SNS.

According to the report, American rapper Trap Beckham and his manager TJ Chapman took photos of the food and drinks at the event, shared them on SNS, and interacted with their followers. They also posted photos showing themselves smoking marijuana, which is legal in Massachusetts where the event was held, along with pictures of premium liquor bottles and cigars.

The party was attended by Hollywood actors George Clooney and Tom Hanks, film director and producer Steven Spielberg, singer Beyonc? and her husband rapper Jay-Z, as well as singer Erykah Badu.

Badu posted a video on SNS showing former President Obama dancing without a mask, wearing a gray patterned shirt and white pants.

However, all photos shared by attendees have since been deleted. Although the birthday party was private, some attendees violated the event’s photo ban and shared images on SNS.

Earlier, Obama’s 60th birthday party was planned as a large-scale event with 475 guests and 200 staff members, but it faced criticism for being inappropriate amid the spread of the Delta variant. As a result, the party size was reportedly significantly reduced. Additionally, stricter quarantine measures were announced, including requiring attendees to provide negative COVID-19 test results.

Nevertheless, the New York Post stated, "Contrary to claims that only family and close friends were invited, hundreds gathered for a grand party." Criticism has intensified as it was revealed that many attendees did not wear masks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.