Networks Amazed by Obama-Biden Selfie: 'They're Just Like Us!'
The network morning shows on Thursday were thrilled by Vice President
Joe Biden joining Instagram on Wednesday and posting a selfie of himself
with President Obama. On NBC's Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie couldn't contain her excitement: "Presidents and vice presidents, they're just like us! The latest selfie racing around the web today." [Listen to the audio]
On ABC's Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos hailed: "...the selfie craze has hit the White House again....Joe Biden set up an Instagram account overnight, sending out his first picture, it went viral immediately." CBS This Morning co-host Norah O'Donnell gushed: "It's being called the selfie to end all selfies....The White House Twitter account also posted the photo with the caption, 'Pals.'"
Today's fill-in social media host Tamron Hall declared:
"Overnight while we were sleeping someone was hard at work creating a
firestorm on Twitter....a selfie with the President of the United
States. Pretty cool. So in less than 24 hours, 47,000 people now
following Biden on Instagram."
In the 9 a.m. ET hour, Hall proclaimed it to be "the toothiest selfie
in America," again noting that "over 47,000 people following the Vice
President on Instagram." Fellow co-host and news anchor Natalie Morales
raved: "I'm one of them....I think it's great. It's fantastic."
Co-host Willie Geist chimed in: "If there's one politician you want on
Instagram, it's Joe Biden. It's Saturday night, it gets late, who knows
what's gonna happen?"
Morales took up the crusade of absent weatherman Al Roker to get Biden to co-host the morning show:
"Well, here's an opportunity to do what Al would do. Mr. Vice
President, you can selfie, you can do Instagram as much as you want if
you come here and host our show, we'd love to have you."
Hall touted the Vice President's wife being on the show the day before:
"Jill Biden was on yesterday. So why not have on the Vice President?"
Morales added: "Hopefully she's making the case at home. Hopefully she
had a great experience."
Good Morning America's
social media host Gio Benitez fawned: "That power selfie is the very
first photo Biden posted of himself on his new Instagram account, saying
he found a friend for his first selfie....The picture already has more
than 23,000 likes. The White House tweeting out that selfie of the
quote, "Pals," as well."
After O'Donnell touted the photo on This Morning, fellow
co-host Gayle King chimed in: "I'm thinking that the President and the
Vice President are flossing and brushing regularly because they've got
great smiles."
Here is a full transcript of the April 17 coverage on Today:
7:00 AM ET TEASE:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And presidents and vice presidents, they're just like us! The latest selfie racing around the web today.
7:20 AM ET SEGMENT:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Alright, well, Tamron's here. A new selfie getting some attention.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: @VP Joins Instagram; Biden Snaps Selfie With the President]
TAMRON HALL: It is. I mean, my goodness. Overnight while we were sleeping someone was hard at work creating a firestorm on Twitter. So yesterday, of course you remember, Dr. Jill Biden was in the Orange Room. Well, apparently she motivated her husband, the Vice President, to take to Instagram. So what did Vice President Joe Biden send out via Instagram on his first shot? There it is, from his team. Look at this guys, his Ray-Bans. His team caption that "More to come"-
NATALIE MORALES: Cool.
CARSON DALY: It looks like an ad.
HALL: It does look cool. It says, "The Vice President and the occasional aviators will be posted." So this is actually not from the V.P. His actual first shot at Instagram, a selfie with the President of the United States. Pretty cool.
So in less than 24 hours, 47,000 people now following Biden on Instagram. But the kings and queens of Instagram, Justin Bieber, 15 million. Kim Kardashian, 13 million. And Rihanna, 12 million.
9:07 AM ET SEGMENT:
TAMRON HALL: Meanwhile, we were talking about this earlier, Vice President Joe Biden – and Al is not here for this, so this kind of makes me sad.
WILLIE GEIST: This is dangerous.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: @VP Joins Instagram; Biden Snaps Selfie With the President]
HALL: Joe Biden has joined Instagram. Yesterday, posting first – his team posted a pretty artsy picture of his Ray-Bans, I wonder if that's product placement? But nevertheless-
NATALIE MORALES: Yeah, that's what I first noticed.
HALL: Like the Samsung thing.
MORALES: Right.
HALL: Nevertheless, the actual real photo, the second one posted was from the Vice President, and look at this, the toothiest selfie in America.
[SELFIE OF BIDEN AND OBAMA ON SCREEN]
GEIST: Wow.
MORALES: I love it.
HALL: It's toothy right? They posted this around 9:00 p.m. This morning when I checked an hour ago they were over 47,000 people following the Vice President on Instagram.
GEIST: Really? Wow.
MORALES: I'm one of them.
HALL: That's pretty good.
MORALES: Yeah, I think it's great. It's fantastic.
GEIST: If there's one politician you want on Instagram, it's Joe Biden.
HALL: Absolutely. But we-
GEIST: It's Saturday night, it gets late, who knows what's gonna happen? He's out at the bar having a couple beers with his buddies, you got the group shots, they're bowling. Who knows what's gonna happen?
HALL: I love that!
MORALES: Well, here's an opportunity to do what Al would do. Mr. Vice President, you can selfie, you can do Instagram as much as you want if you come here and host our show, we'd love to have you.
HALL: Right, Jill Biden was on yesterday.
MORALES: Yes, exactly.
HALL: So why not have on the Vice President?
MORALES: Hopefully she's making the case at home. Hopefully she had a great experience.
HALL: Right. Or at least he has to put an Instagram picture, a selfie with Al Roker.
GEIST: Oh, okay.
HALL: If he can't make it on, send Al there.
GEIST: Yeah, yeah. That can happen.
HALL: I think that can happen, we'll work on it.
GEIST: I think it's like Chelsea Clinton [being asked about running for office], we ask him enough, finally he's going to go, "Fine! I'll do it."
HALL: "Okay, alright, maybe!"
— Kyle Drennen is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.
