Gallery: From Death Star Petitions to AMAs: Great Moments of Obama's Meme Presidency
01obama-death-star-response
Even when he was running for president before his first term, many geeks speculated that Barack Obama was, well, One of Us. In the intervening four years since his election, this has proven to be all too true. Occasionally Vice President Joe Biden even gets in on the fun. From inviting Wookiees to the White House to throwing up the Vulcan salute in the Oval Office, America's first [Meme President](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2012/12/best-memes-2012/?pid=8873) has geek-fu for days – as do the people he puts in various positions of power (or at least in a position to run a Tumblr or Twitter feed). So at the start of his administration's second term, it seemed like a good time to reflect on the four years of nerdery Obama has already given the American population and relive the geekiest moments of Obama's first term. (Seriously, this guy might like *Star Wars* more than we do.) __Above:__ The Administration is Quick with a *Star Wars* Reference -------------------------------------------------------- After a petition to the White House for the U.S. to build a Death Star got more than 25,000 signatures, the administration was obligated to respond. The bad news: America would not be building a Death Star. The good news: The title of the response was, "[This Isn't the Petition Response You Are Looking For](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/geekdad/2013/01/death-star-petition/)." *Screengrab: Wired*
02obama-nichols-vulcan
Obama Knows the Vulcan Salute ----------------------------- Obama, like many *Star Trek* fans, had a crush on Lt. Uhura actress Nichelle Nichols when he was growing up. Unlike most *Star Trek* fans, he was able to invite her to the Oval Office for a photo op where they shared the ultimate "live long and prosper" hand gesture. Relatedly, Obama is also the first president -- to our knowledge -- to have to [publicly deny](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/12/obama-i-am-not-spock-like/1#.UP7b2KTyZil) that he is "Spock-like." *Photo via [Nichelle Nichols' Twitter](http://twitpic.com/95b6ki)*
Pete Souza03star-wars-halloween
Obama Has *Star Wars* Characters at Halloween Parties ----------------------------------------------------- In 2009, the president and First Lady Michelle Obama gave out goodies to kids at the North Portico of the White House. Naturally, they invited Chewbacca (and at least one Stormtrooper). *Photo: Pete Souza/[White House](http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/4075439686/)*
04obama-mckayla
The President is Not Impressed ------------------------------ When Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney visited the Oval Office, the president gamely riffed on the "[not impressed](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mckayla-is-not-impressed)" meme with her. *Photo: Pete Souza/[White House](http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/8191317327/)*
05obama-vp-onion
The Veep Responds to *The Onion*'s AMA, On Twitter -------------------------------------------------- Last week satire paper *The Onion* held an AMA on Reddit to promote the new book *The President of Vice*. Responding to an earlier *Onion* piece that joked about Vice President Biden washing a Trans-Am shirtless, the veep posted [the above question](https://twitter.com/VP/status/292361945170989056) to *The Onion* for the AMA, stating -- via hashtag -- that he was really more of a Corvette guy. *Screengrab: Wired*
06obama-ama
Obama Does AMAs on Reddit ------------------------- Sure, during a campaign a candidate has to reach out to as many voters as possible, but when President Obama put himself [in front of the masses on Reddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/z1c9z/i_am_barack_obama_president_of_the_united_states/), he officially stepped up the game of being Up with People. Asked about online openness, he replied: > Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody – from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although their will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won’t stray from that principle – and it will be reflected in the platform. *Photo: [Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/oz0a7.jpg)*
07obama-shitty-watercolour
After Said AMA, the Campaign Puts a Shitty Watercolour on Its Tumblr -------------------------------------------------------------------- During the aforementioned AMA, the president was given the honor of getting welcomed by Reddit's premiere bad artist Shitty Watercolour. The campaign put the image up [on the Obama for America Tumblr](http://barackobama.tumblr.com/post/30523388911/in-case-you-missed-it-president-obama-met-reddit) – the same Tumblr that once engaged in a Darren Criss [GIF-off with Vh1](http://barackobama.tumblr.com/post/30108007756/vh1-barackobama-vh1-meredifsteppy-i). *Image: Shitty Watercolour [via Tumblr](http://barackobama.tumblr.com/post/30523388911/in-case-you-missed-it-president-obama-met-reddit)*
08obama-lightsaber
Obama Knows How to Handle a Lightsaber -------------------------------------- During a fencing demonstration and rally in Washington, D.C. in 2009 aimed at bringing the 2016 Olympics to his hometown of Chicago, the president wielded a toy lightsaber as his weapon of choice against American Olympic sabre fencing silver medalist Tim Morehouse. Very wise, young Jedi. *Photo: Pete Souza/[White House](http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/3994322108/)*
09obama-superman
Obama is Superman (At Least in His Jokes) ----------------------------------------- Ok, this one's kind of a cheat. This happened during the 2008 election, not during Obama's first term. But still. You guys. During the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner that year Obama joked that "Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the planet Earth." Senator John McCain was in the audience. Zing. Pow! Also: [This picture](http://www.barack-obama-now.com/pix-2006/obama-superman.png).
10obama-eastwooding-2
Obama's Twitter Pwns "Eastwooding" ---------------------------------- During the Republican National Convention last year, actor/director Clint Eastwood oddly addressed an empty chair, at length, imagining that it contained an invisible -- and often foul-mouthed -- President Obama. The bizarre spectacle sparked the meme of "[Eastwooding](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/clint-eastwoods-empty-chair-speech-eastwooding-invisible-obama)" – posting photos that in some way involved empty chairs. Obama himself jumped on the meme bandwagon after the event, tweeting a pic of himself in the chair marked "The President" and the statement "[This seat's taken](https://twitter.com/BarackObama/statuses/241392153148915712/)" (above). *Screengrab: Wired*
11horses-with-bayonets
In a presidential election laden with memes, perhaps the greatest of all was contributed by President Obama during a debate with his opponent, Mitt Romney. After Romney cited a decrease in Navy ships, President Obama responded: "You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed." On Twitter, Senator John Kerry [quipped](https://twitter.com/JohnKerry/status/260557631263997955): "I think POTUS just sank Romney's battleship." And lo, [a meme](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/horses-and-bayonets) was born.
