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‘Imagine if this was for Trump’: Obama bash for hundreds draws jeers amid Delta outbreaks

Former President Barack Obama is creating a “nightmare” by trying to get nearly 700 people to his 60th birthday bash in Martha’s Vineyard, a source told The Post Monday — as news of the lavish party drew fire amid a national surge of the COVID Delta variant and new restrictions. 

George Clooney, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are among the 475 guests expected to attend alongside about 200 hired hands.

“Democrats are imposing unscientific mask mandates while contemplating more lockdowns. Meanwhile, President Obama is hosting over 500 elites at his Marthas Vineyard mansion. If you or I did that it would be called a super-spreader event by the Democrats,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference.

“Typical liberal ‘do as I say, not as I do’. This is what socialism looks like.”

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) told The Post there’s a double standard for Democrats like Obama and that high-profile Republicans would be shamed for throwing the same kind of event.

“Just like President Obama, every American should have the right to celebrate their milestones without arbitrary government mandates and interference. We all know if this was President Trump the left would be screaming,” Malliotakis said.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) echoed the sentiment,  tweeting, “Just imagine if this party was for Trump.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday was pressed on the massive shindig — and defended it.

Asked if Obama was “setting the wrong example about how serious COVID-19 is by hosting a big birthday party with hundreds of people,” Psaki said that the venue is within a county classified by the CDC as having only moderate coronavirus transmission — though there’s an outbreak of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 nearby on Cape Cod.

“I would note first that former President Obama has been a huge advocate of individuals getting vaccinated,” Psaki told reporters at her daily press briefing. “This event, according to all the public reporting, is outdoors and in a moderate zone. But in addition, there is testing requirements and other steps they are taking. which I’m sure they can outline for you in more detail.”

The reporter continued the line of reasoning, asking, “You’ve had people saying, over the last couple of days, vaccinated people can still spread this Delta variant around, so is there concern that this — that an Obama birthday party — might become a super spreader event?”

“The [new CDC] guidance is about what steps people can take when they’re in public settings — indoor settings, specifically, was the new guidance,” Psaki said.

To which the reporter pressed, “So people who are watching this at home and they see, well, President Obama can have a party with several hundred people — should they think that it is OK for them to have a party with several hundred people?”

Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michell Obama.
Former President Barack Obama will have at least 200 staff on hand at his Massachusetts home to cater to the 475 invited guests.Getty Images

Psaki said, “Well, we certainly advise everyone to follow public health guidelines, which I know the former president, who is a huge advocate of getting vaccinated, of following the guidance of public health experts, would certainly advocate for himself as well.”

The CDC last week urged localities to readopt indoor mask mandates in areas with “substantial” or “high” rates of COVID-19 transmission. Although the CDC hasn’t yet urged new rules against large outdoor gatherings or restrictions on domestic travel, President Biden told reporters Friday that more prohibitions may be on their way.

The party will be outdoors at the Obama family’s $12 million, 30-acre waterfront property on Martha’s Vineyard. Landvest

Logistics for the Obama party — which will be outdoors at his $12 million, 30-acre waterfront property — are proving a “nightmare,” one staffer involved in it told The Post.

“His birthday party is insane,” the caterer said. “His bash is a nightmare to pull off this time of year on the tiny island — especially due to the lack of labor because of the coronavirus. What is he thinking?”

A different source close to the party told The Post that the former president has hired a doctor to serve as “COVID coordinator.” All attendees must submit negative test results within a certain window of time for what’s expected to be a largely outdoors gathering, they said.

There will be a “COVID coordinator” at the event to ensure safety protocols. Landvest
Massachusetts issued a mask advisory for Martha’s Vineyard, even for vaccinated people while in indoor public spaces, because of rising cases of the Delta variant. Boston Globe via Getty Images

It’s unclear how guests will use bathrooms and whether masks will be required indoors when they do.

Last week, Martha’s Vineyard health officials urged people to wear masks when indoors as the local infection rate was categorized as “substantial,” meaning more than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over one week.

Barack Obama’s big birthday bash does not follow the general guidelines pushed by the Biden administration. AP

The county that includes Martha’s Vineyard on Monday dipped into the “moderate” infection category, meaning the CDC doesn’t urge local officials to require masks indoors.

One high-profile FOB (Friend of Barack) who will not be attending the gathering is Biden — Obama’s former vice president — who often speaks affectionately of his ex-boss.

A White House official told The Hill, “While President Biden is unable to attend this weekend, he looks forward to catching up with former President Obama soon and properly welcoming him into the over 60 club.”

Obama turns 60 on Wednesday. Biden is slated to travel to Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday.

The mass arrival of the ex-president’s pals is already the talk of the town for Uber drivers, hotel maids and check-in clerks, Axios said.

Martha’s Vineyard is close to Provincetown, Mass., where a spread among vaccinated people over July 4th helped underpin the controversial new CDC mask guidelines.

Though it doesn’t break any rules, big parties such as Obama’s do not follow the general guidelines pushed by the Biden administration.

Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that people need to use “common sense” before having large gatherings.

“If you’re talking about a small party like I might have at my house for six or eight people who are all fully vaccinated, I do not believe, at this point, we need to put masks on to be next to each other,” Collins said.

“But if there were 100 people, and, of course, how are you really going to be sure about people’s vaccination status?” he asked.

“Then the dynamic changes a little bit. There will be some need for common sense there,” he said.

Obama has a history of big birthday blowouts. When he turned 50 in 2011, he had the likes of Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Tom Hanks and Chris Rock at a party in the White House.