Barack Obama: 44th U.S. president,Australia Harvard Law grad, and middle-aged father who makes the most perfectly terrible dad jokes.
Last year, the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardoning saw the commander-in-chief directly address his penchant for some good old-fashioned dad humor.
SEE ALSO: The Obamas paid a visit to Sasha and Malia's donated swing set“So for the past seven years I've established another tradition: embarrassing my daughters with a corny-copia of dad jokes about turkeys.”
From groan-worthy puns to smoking burns, Obama has been giving us doses of that predictable G-rated humor we all know (and sometimes love) ever since first taking office.
Here's a look at all the jokes that brought him to where he is today. Cheers to you, Barry.
At the White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama was just barely dipping his toe into the pool of corny dad humor. He played it safe with something self-deprecating, deserving of a playful eye-roll and a cordial courtesy laugh.
“John McCain is onto something,” he said. “There was a point in my life when I started palling around with a pretty ugly crowd, I’ve got to be honest. These guys were serious deadbeats; they were lowlifes; they were unrepentant no-good punks. That’s right: I’ve been a member of the United States Senate.”
Along with that knee-slapper, he -- like any lovable, dorky dad -- drew some playfully awkward attention toward his children.
"Sasha and Malia aren't here tonight because they're grounded. You can't just take Air Force One on a joy ride to Manhattan. I don't care whose kids you are."
Alright Dad. Alright.
And then there was the shout-out he gave to the famously toned arms of the one and only FLOTUS.
"She's even begun to bridge the differences that have divided us for so long, because no matter which party you belong to, we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms," he told the crowd.
Obama delivered another joke-packed speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, this time with a little more sass, and some choice curse words.
"I work a lot so I wasn't sure that I should actually come tonight. Biden talked me into it. He said, 'Mr. President, this is no ordinary dinner. This is a big (beep) meal."
It was a throwback to that time his VP bestie whispered (well, just spoke and loudly enough for the microphone to catch) into his ear, "This is a big fucking deal," when Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law that same year.
Ohhh Biden. It makes you wonder what other sweet nothings he's been whispering into the president's ear...
When it comes to Obama jokes, they're often lighthearted, relatively non-offensive and not even really funny -- all quintessential elements of the standard dad joke.
But sometimes Barry likes to go rogue, like that one time in 2011 -- when he finally called out Donald Trump for untrue birther claims and criticisms of his presidency.
"All kidding aside, we obviously all know about your credentials and breadth of experience," Obama said, with a stone-faced Trump hidden in the crowd. "For example – seriously, just recently – in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice, at the steakhouse, the men’s cooking team did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks."
It didn't stop there.
"And there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership," Obama said. "So ultimately, you didn’t blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night.”
*roars of laughter and applause*
“Well handled, sir.”
With the wild birther claims, Obama just kept making lemonade out of lemons. At the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2012, he delivered this gem.
"My name is Barack Obama. My mother was born in Kansas, my father was born in Kenya, and I was born, of course, in Hawaii," he said -- with a solid wink, of course.
Oh, that's just classic Barry.
Poking fun at the haters with some satirical self-deprecation is a hallmark of Obama humor, even when tackling the tough stuff.
“I look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be,’” he told the crowd at the White House Correspondents's Association dinner.
That's one way to clap back.
Then, showing off his more lighthearted chops at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey pardon later that year, Obama gave the presidential treatment (dad jokes included) to a turkey named Popcorn. He said the bird was just one of 80 turkeys competing for a chance to spare its life from becoming food.
"It was, quite literally, the Hunger Games."
He saw a little of himself in the bird named Popcorn.
"The competition was stiff, but we can officially declare that Popcorn is the winner, proving that even a turkey with a funny name can find a place in politics."
See what he did there? Yeah, we did too. Not so sly, Obama.
The dad jokes really started pouring in during the later years of Obama's presidency, when the annual turkey pardoning became fertile grounds for embarrassing the now teenage Malia and Sasha. And what better way to do that than with some corny puns about turkeys named Mac and Cheese?
"Let’s face it -- if you’re a turkey, and you’re named after a side dish -- your chances of escaping Thanksgiving dinner are pretty low. So these guys are well ahead of the curve. They really beat the odds."
You can almost hear the sighs.
Obama would eventually go all out with the dad jokes, and in 2015, he didn't hold back.
Remarking on the turkey who would now be spared, Abe, he gave this bit:
"Abe is now a free bird. He is TOTUS, the Turkey of the United States."
He then elaborated on the coming duties of Abe and his alternate, Honest.
"If for some reason Abe can't fulfill his duties to walk around and gobble all day — Honest is in an undisclosed location, ready to serve as the TOTUS — in the TOTUS line of succession."
It was a less than stellar line that managed to extract at least a little laughter from his daughters, and after the turkey gobbled, Malia even gave her father some much awaited approval: "Okay, that was funny."
And with that, POTUS acknowledged all the bad jokes his daughters have patiently endured.
"I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me during the turkey pardon," he told the crowd. "They do this solely because it makes me feel good — not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing."
As he prepared for his last days in office, Obama seemed to roll up his sleeves and did quite a bit more corny joking at the final turkey pardoning. Maybe it was because he thought he could get away with it a little more easily, given Malia and Sasha skipped the ceremony that year and two of their cousins stood in instead.
Whatever the reason, it's clear 2016 was the year Obama let loose: He unleashed at least nine different dad jokes in a less than 10-minute speech. Some highlights:
"We should also make sure everyone has something to eat on Thanksgiving, except for the turkeys because they're already stuffed."
"Yes we cran."
And on the topic of ending the dad jokes once he leaves office: "No way I'm cutting this habit cold turkey."
For Obama, the paternal puns will always be fun.
One last dad joke.
Topics Social Media Barack Obama Memes President
Previous:Galaxy S9+ vs Pixel 2 XL Camera
Next:Better Buy: Previous
Beyond This Point You May Encounter Nude Sunbathers'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for November 12, 2023Brechtman: A Comic by Joe Frank and Jason NovakEight Views of Paradise Interrupted: Paintings by Jennifer Wen MaThe internet says winter will be bad. Here's what the science says.Humanities Majors: the Silicon Valley Cult Wants to Eat Your BrainStaff Picks: Finn Murphy, Robert Rauschenberg, and Prog RockA New Museum Memorializes the Commercial World’s Biggest FailuresStaff Picks: Alec Wilkinson, Ali Smith, Long Ling, and MoreNYT's The Mini crossword answers for November 12To Hölderlin (from Rilke with Love)Where I Wasn’t When Manchester BledA New Museum Memorializes the Commercial World’s Biggest FailuresBest deals of the day Dec. 7: Roomba i3+ Evo, Fire TV Omni Series, and Paramount+ subscriptionsThe internet says winter will be bad. Here's what the science says.To Hölderlin (from Rilke with Love)Wordle today: The answer and hints for November 13'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for November 12, 2023Oxford's Word of the Year? 'Goblin mode.''Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for November 12, 2023 Best gift for kids deal: National Geographic Rock Tumbler Kit on sale for $19 off at Amazon Ninebot logo theft sparks debate, company offers free replacement service · TechNode Kuaishou reports strong 2024 earnings as Kling AI gains traction · TechNode X may add dislike and downvote buttons Tesla reportedly puts a stop to free trial of assisted driving service in China · TechNode Webb telescope reveals a haze joining the Penguin and Egg galaxies 01.AI founder Kai Best Bluetooth speaker deal; Get the onn. Small Rugged Speaker for just $15 at Walmart Tesla suspends sales of imported vehicles in China due to tariffs · TechNode U.S. satellites reveal China's solar dominance Tencent tests Yuanbao AI assistant within WeChat, expanding its role beyond chat · TechNode DeepSeek files patent for smarter, more efficient AI data collection · TechNode Cybertruck owner discovers new way the Tesla EV can rip your finger off Best Prime Day 2024 Kindle deals so far New Alibaba talent program lets top AI recruits choose their own teams · TechNode Spain vs. England 2024 livestream: Watch Euro 2024 final for free Vivo launches robotics lab, focuses on AI and vision for home robots · TechNode Prime Day deal: Get $125 off this Dyson Airwrap bundle DeepSeek upgrades V3 model with more parameters, open Alcaraz vs. Djokovic 2024 livestream: Watch Wimbledon for free
2.2228s , 10181.2578125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Australia】,Defense Information Network