Obama: ‘We’ve Got Better Things to Do’ than Approve Jay-Z’s Cuba Trip

White House Spokesman Jay Carney already said the Obama administration had nothing to do with approving a trip to Cuba by rapper Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce. Now the president himself is backing that up.

"I wasn't familiar that they were taking the trip," Obama told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie in a “Today” show interview. "My understanding is I think they went through a group that organizes these educational trips down to Cuba. This is not something the White House was involved with.”

"We've got better things to do," Obama said.

After facing criticism for visiting the communist country, Jay-Z released a rap after returning home. In it he said, “Boy from the hood, I got White House clearance,” and “Obama said, 'Chill you gonna get me impeached.’”

Among Jay-Z’s critics were Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who pointed out that travel to Cuba without government permission violates U.S. policy and can bring fines.