Obama Accepts $400,000 Fee for a Speech -
By MICHAEL D. SHEARAPRIL 26, 2017
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama has agreed to accept $400,000 to speak at a health
care conference this year sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald, a Wall Street investment bank.
The Cantor Fitzgerald speech is part of what his aides have described as a series of public and private events
that Mr. Obama began on Monday in Chicago, where he held a discussion with a half-dozen young people about the issue of civic engagement.
Mr. Obama, who was paid $400,000 a year as president, frequently criticized big banks and warned against what he said was a growing inequality in the country
that was undermining civic life and the economic fortunes of the middle class.
Former President Bill Clinton averaged about $200,000 per speech while former President
George W. Bush is reportedly paid $100,000 to $175,000 for each appearance.
“I believe this is the defining challenge of our time: making sure our economy works
for every working American,” Mr. Obama said in a speech in December 2013.