White House Not Pleased With Presidential Selfie Used As Samsung Promo

As “selfie” has become a word that even your reclusive great-aunt knows, and everyone enjoys when celebrities snap pictures of themselves with their phones and act just like regular people. So while a picture that Boston Red Sox player David “Big Papi” Ortiz took of himself with President Barack Obama proved popular on Twitter, including on Samsung’s account. Ortiz has an endorsement deal with the electronics company. The President, needless to say, does not.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney didn’t come out and condemn Samsung, but clearly wasn’t thrilled that Samsung was using his boss’s image in a promotional capacity. “As a rule the White House objects to attempts to use the president’s likeness for commercial purposes,” he told reporters, according to the Wall Street Journal. “And we certainly object in this case.”

Carney didn’t specify whether White House lawyers have made their displeasure known to Samsung in a more formal capacity.

Here’s the original tweet, and a link to Samsung’s retweet that the White House is unhappy with.

What an honor! Thanks for the #selfie, @BarackObama http://t.co/y5Ww74sEID—

David Ortiz (@davidortiz) April 01, 2014

Samsung Called Out on Ortiz’s Selfie With Obama [Wall Street Journal]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist