George W. Bush earns $15 million on speaker circuit
President George W. Bush declined to appear at Ground Zero with President Obama following Osama bin Laden's death, citing a desire to keep a low profile. The former president then went on that week to make six figures in three speaking engagements, according to a new report.
On May 5, just days after bin Laden was killed by Navy SEALs in Pakistan, Mr. Obama laid a wreath at Ground Zero in New York City in an effort to help the families of the victims of 9/11 find closure. Mr. Obama had invited Mr. Bush to join him at the ceremony, but a spokesman for the former president said Mr. Bush "appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight."
Mr. Bush gave three paid speeches over the course of the next week, iWatchNews.org reports -- at a hedge fund conference, a golfers' association event and at an event for a Swiss bank. Mr. Bush reportedly earns between $100,000 and $150,000 for speaking engagements.
Mr. Bush has reportedly earned about $15 million from 140 paid speaking events since leaving office. He's hardly the first former president to cash in on the lecture circuit: Former President Bill Clinton, for one, earned $65 million in speaking fees from 2001 to 2009, a CNN report found.
In fact, when Mr. Bush spoke to the wealth management arm of Swiss Bank UBS on May 9, he was joined by Mr. Clinton -- who also turned down a White House invitation to appear at the May 5 Ground Zero event, citing scheduling conflicts.
While both former presidents have used their positions to amass large speaking fees, they have also engaged in humanitarian and non-profit work. Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton worked together last year, for instance, to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
