When do we get the outtakes from Obama's stroll through Washington?
White House


On Thursday, the White House released what it describes as "raw video" of President Obama taking a rare, unannounced stroll along the Mall from the White House to the Interior Department building, where he declared New Mexico's Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area a national monument.
The video is "raw" in that in that it's not TV-quality and there's no soundtrack or anything, but all of the recorded interactions with tourists and locals are positive. It could be that there were only high-fives and wowed visitors — and yes, this was released by the White House. But if there were any awkward confrontations, that might be interesting to watch, too — if nothing else to see how Obama responds. And if there wasn't any discomfort, isn't that what late-night TV is for?
Obama isn't the first president to go out in public to mingle with the people. As Gawker reminds us, Richard Nixon took a bizarre 4 a.m. stroll to the Lincoln Memorial with his butler in May 1970 to chat with student protesters. And, via The Washington Post, both Teddy Roosevelt and John Quincy Adams were prone to skinny dip in Washington's rivers and creeks. Luckily, there was no YouTube to share those images with us.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Week Recommends The world's biggest arts festival is back with an incredible line-up
-
Wonsan-Kalma: North Korea's new 'mammoth' beach resort
Under the Radar Pyongyang wants to boost tourism but there won't be many foreign visitors to Kim Jong Un's 'pet project'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities