WASHINGTON — President Obama has pledged to use the remainder of his presidency to address income inequality, which he calls “the defining challenge of our time. This holiday weekend, Mr. Obama had an intimate look at how vast wealth disparities in America have become.
On Monday, Mr. Obama and his family marked the birthday of the civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a visit to the D.C. Central Kitchen, where he, Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, donned aprons and prepared burritos for distribution to local homeless shelters.
On Saturday, the Obamas marked another birthday — Mrs. Obama’s 50th — with a party at the White House, with music by Beyoncé. Guests included entertainment industry A-listers like Stevie Wonder (who also sang), Paul McCartney and Samuel L. Jackson. Those who brought cellphones were asked to check them at the door, presumably to prevent photographs on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The two events — one a very public effort to promote community service, the other a private affair that carried a whiff of celebrity and secrecy — spotlight the often contradictory worlds that modern presidents inhabit. For Mr. Obama, the juxtaposition of the two has created a delicate balancing act — and provoked predictable criticism.
“Why the secrecy? wrote Byron York, the conservative pundit, in an opinion article in The Washington Examiner. Perhaps, Mr. York mused, given Mr. Obama’s income inequality agenda, “the White House felt photos of a champagne-soaked, star-studded party would be somewhat off-message.
Presidents have long used the executive mansion to host private events (it is, after all, their home), typically paying for them out of pocket. Lynda Bird Johnson and Tricia Nixon were married at the White House, as was Anthony Rodham, the brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and, most recently, Pete Souza, Mr. Obama’s official photographer. White House officials on Monday said the birthday party was private, paid for by the president.
So far, only the briefest tidbits have leaked out about the late-night snack and dessert party, which has been dubbed “sips and sweets. (Guests were instructed to eat dinner beforehand.) Obama watchers say Saturday’s no-cameras rule may have been a reaction to the president’s private inaugural celebration last year, where the singer Janelle Monáe performed — and reportedly danced on a table in the East Room.
“Celebrities tweeted photographs of it and later a lot were deleted, said Eddie Gehman Kohan, a chronicler of Mrs. Obama’s culinary (and social) activities on her blog, ObamaFoodorama.
There were no photos of any dancing Saturday night, but some celebrities could not resist the social media lure.
Beyoncé used her Tumblr account to post an image of herself, in a microscopic pale beaded dress, seated on one of the red brocade chairs on the State Floor of the White House petting Sunny, one of the Obamas’ Portuguese water dogs.
Magic Johnson, the basketball star, posted on Twitter that “Beyoncé brought the house down.
Al Roker, the weatherman on NBC’s “Today show, sounded a little star-struck as he told the program’s hosts that he “actually got to boogie a little with the first lady, while other guests said the highlight of the evening was the emotional speech — “off the record, a White House official said Monday — the president gave about his wife.
“It was really beautiful and really touching, Herbie Hancock, the jazz musician, told CNN, which reported that the “most memorable moment was Mr. Obama performing the Dougie, a hip-hop dance.
All presidents hobnob with celebrities, but for Democrats — and for Mr. Obama in particular — doing so carries particular risks, said Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, because imagery of mingling with the wealthy “becomes a clash with their values and claims they are making in the public sphere.
On Monday, the White House took pains to make Mr. Obama’s values clear. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — who also attended the birthday party on Saturday night — served hot lunch to guests at an interfaith mission, SOME (So Others Might Eat), as cabinet officials fanned out across the city for various public service events.
At the D.C. Central Kitchen, which was celebrating its 25th anniversary, Mr. Obama kept his remarks simple.
“I just want to thank everybody here, the president said, “for the great work they do.