Barack Obama, who served as the President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, is popular among people not only for his leadership style but also for his wit and charming sense of humor. Be it reading rude tweets or cracking dad jokes, he knows how to have fun while being busy running the country.
Ah, the best thing about him, you ask? He enjoys moments of self-roast while softening political divides or reinforcing a strong message with casualness. Revisiting Obama’s old videos is never boring. And as we did, we ended up shortlisting some of his funniest moments over the years. If you are a fan of him, check them out:
1. When Barack Obama Roasted Kanye West
Remember when Kanye West announced his presidential run? Barack Obama found a quirky way to poke fun at him for his assumption that the President’s job is easy. At the Democratic National Committee fundraiser in San Francisco, Barack funnily broke this myth by saying, “You’ve got to spend a lot of time dealing with some strange characters who behave like they’re on a reality TV show. So you’ve got to be cool with that.”
Barack said, “Do you really think that this country is going to elect a Black guy from the South Side of Chicago with a funny name to be president of the United States? That is crazy.” The way he roasted Kanye West with a self-referential joke was quite clever and the cheer among crowd was enough to tell how good his sense of humor is!
2. Barack Obama’s Silly Dad Joke
You’d be lying if you say you don’t occasionally relish silly dad jokes. Barack once couldn’t stop himself cracking one on Thanksgiving. In his 7th year of turkey pardoning, he shared the stage with his daughters, Sasha and Malia. Funnily, he tried to embarrass them with corny dad jokes. He said, “Time flies, even if turkeys don’t.” Both the girls couldn’t help but smile at his humor.
3. When Barack Obama Trolled Donald Trump
At the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Donald Trump was sitting in the audience when Barack Obama roasted him for his birther conspiracy theory. He said, “No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald — because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like whether we faked the moon landing.”
4. Barack Obama’s Mean Tweets Episode
In 2016, Barack Obama participated in Jimmy Kimmel Live‘s Mean Tweets segment. He was very casual while reading the out rude tweets that mocked his dad jeans, gray hair and his leadership.
One of the tweets was from Donald Trump’s official X account which reads, “President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States!” Obama had a mic drop moment as he replied, “Atleast, I will go down as a.. President.”
Obama’s reply was too hilarious at that time but Trump ended up having the last laugh.
5. When Barack Obama Addressed His Tan Suit Controversy
In 2014, Barack Obama found himself embroiled in a controversy over his suit. At a press conference held to discuss mattes of terrorism and US military’s response, Obama arrived wearing a tan suit. People debated if his outfit’s color suited the serious subject of the press conference.
Later, Obama was seen addressing the controversy with a pinch of humor. At a fundraiser event, he joked, “I was sorely tempted to wear a tan suit today for my last press conference but Michelle whose fashion sense is a little better than mine tells me that’s not appropriate in January.”
6. The ‘Thanks, Obama’ Moment
‘Thanks, Obama’ was a popular Internet meme during his tenure as the president. It was a satirical way to poke fun at his policies. The meme and hashtag became so popular that Obama himself jumped onto the trend. Using his clever humor, he put an end to it once and for all.
In a White House video, he was seen trying to dip a cookie into a glass of milk that was smaller than the cookie. As he failed, he said, “Thanks, Obama”.
7. Barack Obama And His Anger Translator
Do you remember Barack Obama’s unexpected collab with comedian Keegan-Michael Key at the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Obama introduced the comedian as his “anger translator”. Together, they performed a hilarious skit where Obama was seen calmly making his speech while Key enacted Obama’s inner rage.
These moments never get too old to have a laugh and his fans surely miss having a president with a top-notch sense of humor.