Pres. Obama in SF for fundraisers; shows off fatherly skills at SFO
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - President Obama is in San Francisco this evening. The Commander in Chief arrived on Air Force One with his daughter Malia at San Francisco Airport shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday.
It's been a quick but busy trip for the president who's here to attend two separate Friday night Democratic fundraisers in San Francisco.
One of the events was a fundraiser for Representative Nancy Pelosi, held at the home of Ann & Gordon Getty, where tickets were priced at $33,400 per couple. That event raised $3 million.
Before heading to the city, he stopped to visit well-wishers, including two new mothers who had the honor of having their children held by the most powerful man in the world.
“Josiah is two-months-old yesterday and has never met a president in his life. We got a ton of pictures,” said an excited Melieka Swain of Vallejo. "It is absolutely amazing to see the president hold a baby."
“He walked up and said, ‘I have to hold this one’, so I passed her to him and he picked her up like an experienced father,” said another mother, Sarah Mansir.
After leaving the airport, the president went to his hotel before heading over to his first of two fund raisers. A group of children chanted his name, while they waited in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood.
The streets were filled with law enforcement officers who were lined up and on hand to protect the president.
Meanwhile, people along the streets were armed with cell phones snapping pictures.
"I'm out here to catch a glimpse of my current favorite president," said Mary Randolph Norton of San Francisco.
Her wish came true. Mr. Obama shook a few hands and waved to the crowd. Later he made his way to the home of Susan Sandler and Steve Phillips who are hosting a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.
"My wife appreciates him providing healthcare for 18 million people, but probably more likes that this made us clean up our house," says Phillips.
He was honored to have the president in his home. Insiders say the conversation was off the record, but it focused on how to keep the White House in the hands of Democrats through voter registration and participation.
"It was just really fascinating. I was about four feet away from the President of the United States listening to him talk. That was a lot of fun," said Stuart Alsop who attended the fundraiser. People in the neighborhood say this day will mean a lot to them and the memories of this day will last a lifetime.
“I’m going to miss him. I love him I love what he's done for our country. He's been an amazing President," says Diana Perkins of San Francisco. "It’s still surreal and we're kind of processing it all and we're glad that the neighbors were really excited and the kids came out," says Phillips.
The president is scheduled to stay in San Francisco overnight, he’ll then return to Washington D.C. Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m.