On Tuesday, CBS This Morning and NBC’s Today continued to promote President Obama officially joining Twitter and featured numerous fawning segments highlighting the “Breaking News.”
After CBS and NBC both touted Obama’s new Twitter handle on their Monday night broadcasts, their respective morning shows provided 4 minutes and 35 seconds of free promotion for the new @POTUS account. For its part, ABC chose not to gush over Obama joining Twitter during its Monday night and Tuesday morning broadcasts.
On CBS This Morning, co-host Norah O’Donnell played up how “President Obama traveled to Camden, New Jersey yesterday to praise the progress of the city's police force in slashing the city's crime rate. Earlier in the day he faced a new challenge how to master the art of 140 characters. He joined Twitter under the user name POTUS.”
The CBS anchor then eagerly read off President Obama’s first official Tweet and the friendly back-and-forth between him and Bill Clinton over whether or not the @POTUS handle remains with the White House after 2016.
Charlie Rose wondered “what President Clinton's Twitter hashtag would be if in fact he becomes–the first man” to which substitute host Vinita Nair joked “FMOTUS” which does not have a “ring to it.”
Over on NBC, the folks at Today went even further by giving Obama’s Twitter announcement two full segments. With the on-screen graphic “Twitter-in-Chief” on full display for the NBC audience, Tamron Hall provided a similar description to that of CBS’s O’Donnell, which included the NBCer beaming at the exchange between Obama and Clinton.
Willie Geist proceeded to wonder if “we have two presidents flirting on Twitter?” to which Savannah Guthrie suggested there’s “a little something going on.” News reader Natalie Morales gushed at the Clinton-Obama Twitter exchange and called it “kind of cute.”
During the 9:00 a.m. hour, Geist, Hall, and Al Roker continued to provide free publicity to Obama with Geist declaring “[s]o President Obama joined Twitter yesterday. Breaking news.” Geist then recapped the Twitter exchange between Obama and Clinton before he gushed that the two Democrats are “adorable together” which Tamron Hall took as an excuse to call them a “comedy team. Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.”
After Hall and Roker and a brief back-and-forth over whether or not Obama should have to follow the Chicago Cubs on Twitter since he’s a White Sox fan, Roker declared “I’m going to tweet the president” and Hall noted “you have an in with Joe Biden...Tag VP on it. Tag Joe Biden on it.”
This was not the first time NBC acted as unofficial Democratic spokesmen in their promotion of President Obama. Following President Obama’s reelection in 2012, Savannah Guthrie swooned over a picture of President Obama hugging his wife:
Four more years" has been re-tweeted. It was nearly a half a million times. And then let us show you this. There`s a before and after image of the Obama family, then and now. And it has gone viral, too. We`ve got that picture to show you.
Natalie Morales beamed “[w]hat`s amazing, I think is-- is just seeing how much the girls have grown up in this time. This is the before picture. This is four years ago, and then now, look at them. I mean, Malia is almost as tall as Michelle and--and-- and Sasha, they are just, you know, gorgeous and beautiful growing up so nicely.”
See relevant transcripts below.
CBS This Morning
May 19, 2015
NORAH O’DONNELL: President Obama traveled to Camden, New Jersey yesterday to praise the progress of the city's police force in slashing the city's crime rate. Earlier in the day he faced a new challenge how to master the art of 140 characters. He joined Twitter under the user name POUTS. The White House says tweets will come directly from the president and not his staff. His first tweet was, “hello, Twitter! It's Barack. Really! Six years in and they're finally giving me my own account.” He already has 1.6 million followers including Bill Clinton. He wrote “welcome to Twitter, POTUS. One question: Does that username stay with the office? #askingforafriend.” The president responded by asking if Bill Clinton knew anyone interested in taking over the first lady's account, also known as FLOTUS, for First Lady of the United States. So some healthy banter on Twitter.
CHARLIE ROSE: I wonder what President Clinton's Twitter hashtag would be if in fact he becomes—
O’DONNELL: The first man.
ROSE: The first man.
O’DONNELL: Of the United States.
VINITA NAIR: FMOTUS.
O’DONNELL: FMOTUS, that’s right.
NAIR: Not a ring to it.
NBC’s TodayMay 19, 2015
WILLIE GEIST: Meanwhile, Tamron is in for Carson as he gets ready for tonight's finale of "The Voice." And Tamron, a first, I understand, for the President of the United States?
TAMRON HALL: That's right Willie. Good morning, everyone. So you’d probably assume the president is officially a member of the Twitter verse, he’s often holding that Blackberry in his hand. The First Lady has nearly 2 million followers. But until Monday, the president did not have his own official Twitter account. So now tweets from @POTUS will come directly from President Obama himself. A huge hit as you can imagine. It was trending as soon as he sent out this tweet guys. “Hello Twitter. It's Barack. Really! Six years in and they're finally giving me my own account.”
You can imagine instant success and instant followers there. Let me swipe this here. There you go. Bill Clinton sent out a tweet to the president. “Welcome to Twitter, @POTUS. One question, does that user name stay with the office? #askingforafriend.” President Obama replied saying “Good question @billclinton. The handle comes with the house. No anyone interested in @FLOTUS?” This comedy routine can keep going. @POTUS follows 65 accounts ranging from politicians and universities and nearly every Chicago sports team which I think will make it controversial. Nearly? Not all Chicago sports teams? What's up with that? Where's Jeff Rossen?
GEIST: Tamron, thanks. Is it just me or do we have two presidents flirting on Twitter?
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: I know, it kind of seems like it, right? A little something going on.
NATALIE MORALES: Kind of cute.
--
WILLIE GEIST: So President Obama joined Twitter yesterday. Breaking news.
TAMRON HALL: Yeah a lot of people thought he was already on it.
AL ROKER: I just assumed he was.
HALL: A lot of people thought he was already on it.
GEIST: So, he’s got the handle @POTUS. His first tweet read this way. “Hello Twitter. It's Barack. Really! six years in they're finally giving me my own account.” There is a @BarackObama account that has like 60 million followers. That was originated during his 2008 campaign. So still run by those people, not by the president himself. Former President Bill Clinton immediately tweeting at President Obama, “Welcome to Twitter. One question, does that user name stay with the office. #askingforafriend.” President Obama then replied “Good question @BillClinton. The handle comes with the house. Know anyone interested in @FLOTUS?” See what I’m saying right there?
HALL: Snap, snap.
GEIST: They're adorable together, aren’t they?
ROKER: They really are.
HALL: They are. Comedy team. Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.
GEIST: Yes it’s great stuff. The president already follows 65 accounts. Politicians, universities, a bunch of sports teams. Does not follow the Cubs. He's a White Sox fan.
HALL: But you can -- I don't like that. He needs to follow both the Sox and the Cubs.
ROKER: Why?
HALL: Because they're Chicago teams.
ROKER: It's a free country.
HALL: No, it's not.
ROKER: It is.
HALL: Not when it comes to sports. Listen. This is a dictatorship. I think, you know, come on. You can't follow most of the teams.
ROKER: You got to choose. You got to choose.
HALL: Why?
ROKER: Because you're a fan. That's the very nature of being a fan.
HALL: Alright, well, he did. He didn't care what I think.
ROKER: I think I’m going to try to tweet the president.
GEIST: White Sox are his squad.
HALL: I know the White Sox are his squad but the Cubs are legendary. I love the Sox too.
GEIST: Okay, so Al's tweeting @POTUS right now. We'll see if he hears back by the end of the show. Because we know the president is just waiting with his iPhone just refreshing his mentions.
HALL: You have an in with Joe Biden.
ROKER: Yes.
GEIST: Yeah maybe copy VP on that.
HALL: Tag VP on it. Tag Joe Biden on it. Which also, this @POUTS, I'm surprised someone hadn't swooped that up.
GEIST: They must have done something to get it.
HALL: They must have done something to block it. This long someone would have gotten in.
ROKER: I have a feeling if somebody from the White House calls Twitter and says we'd like that @POTUS back.
HALL: And then they're just going to take it from someone?
ROKER: Yes, they are. Because it's a free country. Okay, there we go.
HALL: I love the reminder of where I live. Free country.
ROKER: Just in case you forget. It’s a free country.
