9 signs that Obama is totally in the second semester senior year phase of his presidency
Imitating Grumpy Cat? Hanging out in Marc Maron's garage? Sometimes, it seems like the president already thinks school's out for summer.
Barack Obama has had a strikingly momentous second term. His administration negotiated the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership and a major nuclear deal with Iran. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of both same-sex marriage and ObamaCare. Team Obama scored a big climate agreement with China and reversed a decades-old policy toward Cuba, reestablishing U.S. ties with the country. Obama has commuted more sentences for non-violent criminal offenders than any president since Franklin Roosevelt and, as evidenced by his powerful Charleston church eulogy in which he broke out singing "Amazing Grace," he has also made some of his boldest strides yet toward addressing race issues.
As Kenneth Adelman, Ronald Reagan's arms control negotiator, put it, "Obama may be singular as a president, not only because of his striking background. It may turn out that unlike virtually any other president, his second term is actually better than his first."
And yet... there are plenty of times when Obama just seems, well, over it. It's easy enough to see why; even the kids who make the honor roll aren't immune to senioritis.
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Indeed, without the worry of re-election looming, and with the finish line in sight, Obama seems to be rounding the final bend of his second term as president as a student might kick back into the second semester of his senior year. Here are a few standout moments.
1. He went on TV and ate a bear's leftover salmon
During Obama's trip to Alaska earlier this year to talk about climate change, he made a quick stop in the wilderness to nosh on some bear-eaten salmon with survivalist Bear Grylls. That's right, the president of the United States went on a reality television show and ate a "bloody carcass of half-eaten salmon" that even a bear didn't want.
2. He hung out in Marc Maron's garage
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When comedian Marc Maron invited Obama onto his podcast, POTUS accepted — and wasn't afraid to take some jabs at himself amid the serious talk. He 'fessed up about the fact that Sasha and Malia find him "completely boring" and that the younger guys on the basketball court "sort of pity" him now that he's getting older.
3. He did an interview with a YouTube star who ate a bathtub full of milk and Froot Loops
Obama sat down for an interview with green-lipstick-wearing YouTube star Glozell Green — she calls herself "Queen of YouTube" — in January. While the two talked about serious topics like Cuba and race relations, viewers could surely be forgiven for raising an eyebrow, since Green is best remembered for her decision to eat a bathtub full of Froot Loops and milk — while she sat in it.
4. He took a bunch of selfies for BuzzFeed
The video says it all. Obama's catchphrase for this BuzzFeed project, entitled "Things Everybody Does But Doesn't Talk About," was, simply, "You do you."
5. He got sassy in his State of the Union address
With the stress of the midterms finally behind him, Obama got a little smug at the 2015 State of the Union when Republicans applauded the fact that he had "no more campaigns to run." Obama shot back: "I know because I won both of them."
6. He all but admitted that he doesn't care anymore... kind of
At the White House Correspondents Dinner, a joking Obama got just a little too real.
"Welcome to the fourth quarter of my presidency. I am determined to make the most of every moment I have left. After the midterm elections, my advisers asked me, 'Mr. President, do you have a bucket list?' And I said, 'Well, I have something that rhymes with bucket list. [...] Take executive action on immigration? Bucket. New climate regulations? Bucket. It's the right thing to do."
7. He wants to just play golf and be left alone
When Obama read mean tweets about himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live in May, there was one tweet in particular that he didn't have much of a problem with. In fact, he kind of seemed to like what it was suggesting. The tweet: "Is there any way we could fly Obama to some golf course halfway around the world and just leave him there?" Obama's response: "I think that's a great idea."
8. He imitated Grumpy Cat
Obama recently took his insults of Republicans to a new level when he imitated Grumpy Cat to illustrate just how "gloomy" he thinks the GOP is. "Why is it that Republican politicians are so down on America? Have you noticed that?" Obama said at the Democratic National Committee's Women's Leadership Forum in October. "I mean, they are — they are gloomy. They're like Grumpy Cat."
He then gave this impression of the viral internet meme of a scowling cat:
For reference — and for comparison's sake — here's Grumpy Cat:
9. He trolled everyone about wearing that tan suit again
Obama didn't exactly get rave reviews when he debuted a tan suit at a press conference last year.
Ahead of the State of the Union Address in January — months after the suit's debut — the White House posted this photo to Twitter:
Despite the #YesWeTan hashtag, Obama wore a black suit to deliver the State of the Union — and checked successfully trolling Twitter off his list.
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