Presidents, they're just like us - they get their credit cards declined.
President Obama had his credit card rejected last month at a restaurant in New York.
"I went to a restaurant up in New York when I was – during the U.N. General Assembly, and my credit card was rejected," Obama said Friday while signing an executive order to protect consumers from identity theft. "It turned out I guess I don’t use it enough. They were – they thought there was some fraud going on. Fortunately, Michelle had hers."
And, yes, Obama had to defend himself.
"I was trying to explain to the waitress, you know, I really think that I’ve been paying my bills," Obama said. "Even I’m affected by this."
Obama has been concerned about the state of his credit before. In Austin in July, Obama ordered more than $300 worth of barbecue and realized he didn't have enough cash. So he pulled out his credit card, but asked trip director Marvin Nicholson if it was good before handing it over to the cashier.
Nicholson assured Obama that the card would work, and apparently it did.
Obama isn't the only high-profile government figure to run into financial rejection. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in Chicago this month that the market is so tight he couldn't refinance his home.
"I recently tried to refinance my mortgage and I was unsuccessful in doing so," he said, according to Bloomberg. "I’m not making that up.”
This article originally appeared in The Washington Post.
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