President Obama snuck out for a quiet date with his wife on Saturday night. It simply involved a jet to New York, a helicopter and motorcade to a restaurant and then a procession of vehicles through Manhattan to a Broadway show.

The excursion, which Mr Obama said was the fulfilment of a campaign promise made to his wife, Michelle, brought cheering crowds on to the streets of New York but drew scathing criticism from Republicans for its cost to the American taxpayer.

The White House declined to say how much the trip cost but the Republican National Committee fired off a press release faster than the Gulfstream 500 jet that flew the Obamas from Washington to Kennedy International airport, New York. Entitled “Putting on a Show” it said that the outing was inappropriate given the recession and General Motors’ impending bankruptcy.

The Obamas, with press and Secret Service in tow, landed at 4.45pm, the President in a blue suit and open-necked shirt, the First Lady in a black cocktail dress. They flew by helicopter to Lower Manhattan and then travelled by motorcade to Blue Hill, a Greenwich Village restaurant.

From there, through streets closed hours before by the Secret Service, the presidential motorcade drove through Manhattan to the Belasco Theatre to watch Joe Turner’s Come Home, a play about the sons and daughters of newly freed slaves. Cheering crowds lined the route. “I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished,” Mr Obama said.

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