Obama Played Cards—'15 Games of Spades’—During Bin Laden Raid in 2011

President Obama played cards in another part of the White House with four members of staff during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011, said personal assistant Reggie Love.
Obama Played Cards—'15 Games of Spades’—During Bin Laden Raid in 2011
President Barack Obama gestures during his news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Aug. 9, 2013. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
|Updated:

President Obama played cards in another part of the White House with four members of staff during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011, said personal assistant Reggie Love.

Love said, “It was a very long day.” He made the comments at an event held by the Artists and Athletes Alliance at the University of California-Los Angeles.

“Most people were, like, down in the Situation Room and [President Obama] was, like: ‘I’m not going to be down there. I can’t watch this entire thing.’ We must have played 15 games of spades,” Love added.

They played cards in the White House dining room.

According to earlier reports, Obama was briefed the entire time during the Navy SEAL raid on the Bin Laden Abottabad, Pakistan, compound in 2011. The raid resulted in the killing of the al-Qaeda terror leader.

Bin Laden’s body was later buried within 24 hours of his death.

Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Navy Admiral Mike Mullen were also on hand during the raid. 

Love departed the Obama administration last year.

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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