President Obama’s trip to Alaska this week intended to shine a spotlight on climate change. But he’s also there for a social media spree, including using a selfie stick. Presidents, they’re just like us!
Obama pops in to sign an official White House tweet every now and again but it’s only recently that he got his own @POTUS Twitter account. This trip is different in that he’s been given the password to the White House Instagram and is stepping behind the smartphone to take some photos himself. And of himself.
First, he made a video for Twitter. Here is the leader of the free world using a selfie stick:
Watch @POTUS go behind the camera in Alaska to talk about the impacts of climate change: http://t.co/eAVC9RjeMV https://t.co/5y0EZH9RKi
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 2, 2015
Then he posted some selfies to the White House Instagram account without the help of a stick. How do we know? Blurry finger!
That’s Bear Grylls, by the way. Who is hopefully about to force the president to drink his own urine.
Here’s Obama at Exit Glacier, standing at the location that the ice used to reach in the year he was born:
And there are also some shots taken by Obama himself:
“We need to make sure our grandkids see this,” he writes.
And finally, Obama used his own @POTUS account for a mic-drop about renaming Denali:
Today we’re returning Mount McKinley to its native name – Denali, a step to reflect the heritage of Alaska Natives. pic.twitter.com/WyzQImKymX
— President Obama (@POTUS) August 31, 2015
Obama’s first-person narrative from our northernmost state is hopefully inspiring some dialogue about what’s happening to the planet. Or at least people are watching the selfie stick video long enough to glean something about Alaska’s worrying climate.