The video: President Obama took the politician-holding-a-baby meme to a new level at his annual congressional picnic on the White House lawn last week. First Lady Michelle Obama was holding a determinedly crying baby and, unable to soothe her, handed the screaming bundle to her husband. To Michelle's evident shock, the infant immediately stopped fussing once in the president's arms, suggesting that the commander-in-chief may also be a stealth baby whisperer. (Watch the video below.)
The reaction: We already knew Obama is "one of those magical, dulcet-voiced beings capable of calming fussy babies," says Maureen O'Connor at Gawker. But I'd never seen his unlikely technique: Shouting "No! No! Come on, baby. You won't cry" in the girl's face before enveloping her in his arms. The best part of the video, says Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle, is when "Michelle's shocked look is met by Obama's gloating glare." Obama's "smug look cracked me up," says Jeanne Sager in The Stir, but he just used "the simplest of baby soothing secrets": Bouncing. I'm sure poor Michelle would have eventually "gotten around to that one." See for yourself:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 blustery cartoons about the Stormy Daniels testimonyCartoons Artists take on gag orders, lurid details, and more
-
The Idea of You review: 'impossible escapism' starring Anne HathawayThe Week Recommends Steamy romcom about a 40-year-old who falls for a boy band singer
-
Crossword: May 11, 2024The Week's daily crossword
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
