Obama argues that his bodyguards had denied him a birthday cake

The United States President Barack Obama, who turns 49 Wednesday, said the tone of the joke that his guards had denied him a birthday cake that unionists want to offer.

Come speak at a meeting of the powerful AFL-CIO in late morning in Washington, the president was warmly applauded his arrival. "I am happy to spend my birthday with good friends," Obama responded, along with the president of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka.

The latter had earlier birthday wishes to Mr. Obama, explaining that his organization had planned to offer him a cake.

"But the Secret Service has vetoed the cake," he said, referring to members of the elite federal police to protect Obama on 24 and 24 hours to monitor the approach and what he eats .

Obama returned to the charge at the end of his speech, saying "disappointed that there was no cake." "They are probably going to eat now," he said about the Secret Service, bursting into laughter assistance.

In the afternoon, after a ceremony of medals to deserving Americans in the state room of the White House, the audience sang "Happy birthday to you", while President, all smiles, greeted them in hand.

Obama came Wednesday in its 50th year - he was born in Hawaii (Pacific) August 4, 1961 - the anniversary passes without his family: his wife Michelle and their youngest daughter Sasha stay until the end of the week in the southern Spain, and their oldest daughter Malia is in camp.

But according to his spokesman Robert Gibbs, Obama will not be alone on this occasion, as he planned to have dinner Wednesday night with friends in his electoral stronghold of Chicago (Illinois, north) where it should go to end afternoon.

If the anniversary has been marked by good news on the front of the oil spill that pollutes the Gulf of Mexico and darkened the balance of his presidency for more than three months, the oil wells have been filled, a poll released Wednesday may less to please the first black president of the United States.

According to the CNN investigation, more than one quarter of Americans are skeptical that Obama is actually born in the United States, a conspiracy theory emerged during the election campaign of 2007-2008, that Mr. Obama had won against John McCain, Republican senator from Arizona was born ... in Panama, then a military base under U.S. sovereignty.