‘The Daily Show’ Recalls 10 Worst President ‘Scandals,’ Including That Time a Marine Held an Umbrella for Obama
“The Daily Show” took aim at media outlets for hypocrisy in their coverage of former President Barack Obama’s administration. During Monday’s episode, the show compiled a list of what it jokingly deemed “the worst 10 scandals in presidential history,” which included seemingly minor actions that were overanalyzed by mostly conservative networks.
“No president has ever done anything worse,” the screen declared after each “scandal,” before showing footage of another president doing something quite similar.
The list included Umbrella-gate, which spawned from a rainy 2013 press conference where a U.S. Marine held an umbrella over Obama’s head.
“It was a symbolic moment today when the Marines came out and they put umbrella [over his head]. They were protecting him,” Sean Hannity says in a resurfaced Fox News clip. “Maybe in this case, he should have been protecting them.”
The top controversy was, unsurprisingly, when Obama wore a tan suit during a press conference on the U.S. military response to the Islamic State in 2014 — which was dubbed “unpresidential” by several broadcasters. The issue received airtime on major broadcasts for several days.
“I think it was shocking to a lot of people. Is this an effort to make him look warmer?” questioned former Fox host Lou Dobbs.
The segment also called out the former president for bowing to a Saudi king, not wearing a flag pin, going on a date with his wife, eating a cheeseburger with dijon mustard, and taking a photo with a selfie stick — all of which were discussed on media broadcasts in the days following.
“A foolproof way to make yourself look like a self-absorbed assclown,” one commentator said of the selfie stick moment.