Obama's First Act As Private Citizen Will Be Palm Springs Vacation
PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA.com) — After passing the mantle of the presidency to Donald Trump Friday, the first order of business for Barack Obama will be a vacation in Palm Springs.
Obama and his family will fly to Palm Springs Friday to take a vacation as his first act of becoming a private citizen again.
On earlier visits to the Coachella Valley, Obama hit the links with boyhood friends at courses in Palm Springs, La Quinta and Rancho Mirage, but with rain expected in the Coachella Valley over the next few days, it's uncertain how much golf the outgoing president will get in during his vacation.
The White House said the Obamas will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump Friday, then fly to Palm Springs from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The former first family is expected to fly on the same plane that Obama used as president, although it won't be called Air Force One until Donald Trump flies in it.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama "vowed to take his family to a destination that is warmer than Washington, D.C., on Friday." And technically, that will happen -- a high of 59 degrees is expected in Palm Springs Friday, while Washington, D.C., will see a high of 49 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The visit is likely to give new life to rumors circulating for years that the Obamas plan to buy a home at Thunderbird Heights.
Palm Springs Airport officials said that travelers flying in and out of Palm Springs International Airport on Friday shouldn't expect to be held up when Obama arrives.
(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)