The big spenders who shelled out $30,400 a head for dinner with President Obama at the Four Seasons restaurant and at Anna Wintour‘s house didn’t actually break any bread with him.
After starting Tuesday night at a dinner for 60 high-rolling Democratic supporters hosted by hedge-fund billionaire Marc Lasry, Obama headed to a private room at the Four Seasons to wolf down steak, potatoes and broccoli with two aides before heading to Wintour’s Greenwich Village home.
Obama arrived at the Four Seasons at 5 p.m. Spies said he gave a short speech and schmoozed with 60 attendees, including Lasry and Joan Ganz Cooney, wife of Blackstone Group’s Pete Peterson, and ex-Martha Stewart CEO Sharon Patrick, sitting briefly at each table before dining alone.
At 7 p.m., the president headed to Wintour’s, where the Vogue editor-in-chief introduced him to 40 guests at her dinner attended by fashion royalty including Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang, Tory Burch, Harvery Weinstein and Marchesa co-founder Georgina Chapman, Gap designer Patrick Robinson, Theory chief Andrew Rosen and actress Kerry Washington. While guests dined on salmon or steak, Obama only drank coffee.
He again spent time at each of eight tables. “One table wanted to talk about politics, but a lot of people wanted to talk about stimulating jobs in the fashion industry,” said an insider. “Obama was interested in what they had to say, talked about fashion and mentioned his suit designer in Chicago.” Senior advisor Valerie Jarrett trailed the president throughout the evening. “She sat at all the tables and took copius notes on what they were saying,” said our source.
Obama also gave a brief speech, saying he’s not worried about his low poll numbers and he plans to tour the nation to drive the message home to voters about his administration’s achievements so far. “I’ve got my message across before and I’ll do it again. This I know how to do,” he said.