The joint incomes of U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, in 2010 tumbled threefold to $1.73 million from $5.5 million in 2009, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday.
Carney said the Obamas' income came "mostly from the sales of the president's books" Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, as well as from his Nobel Peace Prize. Over the last year, the books faced a fall in demand, which in the end affected the Obamas' total income.
The family donated over $245,000 to charity, including $131,000 from Obama's latest book Of Thee I Sing to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides medical care to veterans and military families.
The U.S. president's annual salary is approximately $400,000.
WASHINGTON, April 19 (RIA Novosti)