Presidential Swag: President Obama's 10 Most Swagged-Out Moments
Thanks to your freedom of speech, you can hate on President Barack Obama all you want. You can hate on his policies. You can hate on his ideas. You can even hate on the "Dad" jeans that he insists on wearing every time he dresses down (c'mon, man!). But, regardless of how you really feel about the President, you simply can not hate on the man's swag.
Hands down, President Obama is the coolest Commander-in-Chief in the history of the United States of America. Whether he's giving a speech to a large crowd or giving a fist bump to his wife Michelle, President Obama is one cool dude. So, to celebrate our President's swag—and to celebrate his recent re-election to the Oval Office—we decided to put together a list of President Obama's 10 Most Swagged-Out Moments. After looking at them, it's clear that no President in U.S. history has swagger like him.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Hanging out with Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z after a rally in Ohio
When It Happened: November 2012
Why It Was So Great: It probably takes a lot to make The Boss and Hov nervous. These guys are major stars. But, while President Obama looks relaxed here, both musicians have their hands in their pockets and appear to be noticeably nervous standing with the President just a few hours before the start of Election Day. President Obama just sort of has that effect on people.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Giving a pound to a White House worker
When It Happened: December 2009
Why It Was So Great: Was this photo staged? Eh, probably. But, even if it was, President Obama deserves props for even thinking to stage a photo shoot that features him giving some dap to a guy that would probably be invisible to most other Presidents. This was one cool-ass moment. We hope that the worker in this photo had this photo blown up, framed, and hung in his living room immediately.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Wiping his shoulder while Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" played during a campaign speech
When It Happened: April 2008
Why It Was So Great: President Obama is a fan of hip-hop. He says he has Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and even Nicki Minaj on his iPod. And, he proved it during a speech back in '08 while he discussed how other politicians were throwing mud in his direction. "You've gotta expect it," he said, "and you've just go to kind of…["Dirt Off Your Shoulder" plays while Obama wipes his shoulders off]." Way to kill the competition.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Giving a pound to his wife Michelle
When It Happened: June 2008
Why It Was So Great: Shortly after he was nominated to be the Democratic candidate in the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama and his wife embraced. Most candidates would have gone with a simple hug and maybe—maybe!—a brief peck on the lips. Not the Obamas! They hugged and then shared a pound, or a "fist bump" as they later called it. It was awesome.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Sitting courtside at a Chicago Bulls/Washington Wizards game
When It Happened: February 2009
Why It Was So Great: President Obama definitely isn't the first President to attend a sporting event. But, most Presidents only show up for the biggest games of the year and only take in games from the comfort of a luxury box. Not President Obama. He attended a relatively unimportant Bulls/Wizards game and did so by sitting courtside and enjoying a cold one. Swag!
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Walking down a hallway at the White House and taking the podium to tell the media that Osama bin Laden was dead
When It Happened: May 2011
Why It Was So Great: This moment was so great that it inspired an Internet meme that featured other people walking down a hallway, taking the podium, and making a ridiculously awesome announcement. President Obama's swagger was definitely on a hundred, thousand, trillion as he walked to the podium that night.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Singing Al Green during a fundraising event in New York City
When It Happened: January 2012
Why It Was So Great: At this point, President Obama has given hundreds, probably even thousands of speeches in front of large crowds. But, still, it's hard to get up in front of a crowd and talk, let alone sing, especially when you're not actually a singer. So, this was a pretty incredible moment. And, to think: His campaign team didn't think he'd do it.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Calling for a "Beer Summit" at the White House with black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and white Massachusetts police Sgt. James Crowley to discuss an incident that had occurred between them
When It Happened: July 2009
Why It Was So Great: It's not a new idea to sit two guys down to settle a disagreement over a beer. But, never before had a President openly called for it to take place at the White House. At the time, Obama said he was "fascinated by the fascination about this evening." Why, Mr. President? It was a pretty awesome evening, no?
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Referring to Kanye West as a "jackass" after the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
When It Happened: September 2009
Why It Was So Great: Although the President called Kanye a "jackass" off the record, the recording was released almost immediately. And, even though he didn't mean for the world to know his feelings on Mr. West, it was still pretty cool to hear that the President had a strong opinion on what 'Ye had done to Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs. It was even cooler to hear him say it again during an interview with The Atlantic a short time later.
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The Swagged-Out Moment: Sharing a laugh with Beyonce and Jay-Z at a fundraiser at the 40/40 Club in New York City
When It Happened: October 2012
Why It Was So Great: How much money would you pay to have B look at you like she's looking at the President in this picture? Geeeeeeez! And, we can't help but notice how cool, calm, and collected President Obama looks in this photo. YOU'RE STANDING NEXT TO TWO OF THE BIGGEST STARS IN THE WORLD HERE, MR. PRESIDENT! And yet, you're "outswagging" them both. You never cease to amaze us.
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