De Nies did not specify exactly how much is being spent or where the money is coming from, though the amount may even be significantly more than $4,000 a day as she related that "the two next door" were also being rented for family and friends of the Obamas. The ABC correspondent also recounted that the estate house overlooks a beach popular with royalty: "But it's the master bedroom and its breathtaking view that is the crown jewel. Kailua Beach has been ranked the island's best, a favorite of Hawaiian royalty."
Anchor George Stephanopoulos gushed over Obama's plans for a two-week getaway to Hawaii as he introduced the report:
When I last interviewed President Obama in September, he was already pining for his Christmas vacation -- two weeks of sun, shaved ice and surf in Hawaii. Well, it's finally here. Delayed just a little bit by that health care vote, but it's gonna come tomorrow morning. Then the President is taking off. One other big perk of the trip, a magnificent beach house his family is staying in for the second year in a row.
Below is a complete transcript of the piece from the Wednesday, December 23, Good Morning America on ABC:
DAVE ZIMEL, PARADISE POINTS ESTATE: Welcome.
YUNJI DE NIES: Hello.
ZIMEL: Hi. Welcome to the Obama winter White House.
DE NIES: Wonderful. This is amazing. Step into the Obama winter White House. And it's easy to see why the first family has made this their Hawaiian home away from home.
ZIMEL: You have a chance to relax. You have this large, enclosed area that feels like you're at your own private hotel with lush setting, and it's very peaceful here. It's very quiet.
DE NIES: Dave Zimel owns the property – 7,000 square feet of paradise, large, open spaces built around a lagoon pool. One of the things I noticed when I first walked in here, there's a Christmas tree in the corner. Is that special delivery?
ZIMEL: It is special delivery. There's not a lot of evergreen trees here on the island, so that came over from the mainland.
ZIMEL: We brought some things in last year, but we found out what he really loves is the sweet potato chips and the taro chips.
DE NIES: Now, these taro chips, you can't get them anywhere else.
ZIMEL: Oh, this is Hawaiian. This is locals.
DE NIES: President's favorite. Malia and Sasha share a room right next to the pool.
ZIMEL: They could giggle, talk through the night, do whatever they want, and they wouldn't disturb anybody because it's separated from the rest of the house.
DE NIES: And they've got easy access to-
ZIMEL: Their favorite spot, the pool, which they would run out to, and they’d swim.
DE NIES: But it's the master bedroom and its breathtaking view that is the crown jewel. Kailua Beach has been ranked the island's best, a favorite of Hawaiian royalty. And the President has a personal connection to this stretch of sand.
ZIMEL: His grandfather used to take him to Kailua Beach because it's a great swimming beach. And so President Obama, I think he probably learned to swim right out here.
DE NIES: Locals say these waters can't be beat.
TRENTON JEONG, SURFER: You can have the worst day in the world, get in the water for just 10 minutes, catch one wave, and it's all over, and you can start fresh again. Hopefully, they'll get in the ocean and have a good time. So take that back to Washington.
DE NIES: The President has two weeks to soak in the serenity before he heads back to work. For Good Morning America, Yunji de Nies, ABC News, Kailua.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yunji also tells us that the President's Christmas getaway is on the market, and one realtor says the President has expressed some interest in buying it, but no final word on an offer. He’ll have to sell just a few more books.
