'Low Profile'? Bush Talks Rake in $15M

Ex-prez charges six figures per speech
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 20, 2011 9:48 AM CDT
What Low Profile? George W. Bush Rakes in $15M With Speeches
George W. Bush makes the opening remarks at The 4% Project Conference at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on April 12, 2011 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.   (Getty Images)

George W. Bush says he wants to stay under the radar these days—hence his refusal of Barack Obama's invitation to attend a Ground Zero ceremony following Osama bin Laden’s death. But that’s not keeping him from accepting six-figure speaking engagements, and plenty of them, the Daily Beast reports. Bush has given some 140 talks since leaving office, says a rep for Bush, and he reportedly earns between $100,000 and $150,000 for each. All told, he’s raked in some $15 million from the speeches, from which the press is largely banned.

During the week after the Ground Zero event, Bush gave three speeches: one to hedge-fund bosses; one to Swiss bank UBS, at which Bush was joined by Bill Clinton, who’s also raked in tens of millions for post-presidency appearances; and one at a golf event. The talks have taken him to Canada, Asia, and New York; his rep notes that he has a few dozen events lined up for this year. On the docket for next month: a speaking gig at the Edison Electric Institute meeting in Colorado Springs. (More George W. Bush stories.)

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