--- title: Barack Obama Impersonates Frank Underwood from House of Cards description: Barack Obama does his best impression of Frank Underwood from House of Cards the Netflix series in new White House video canonical: https://time.com/3769130/barack-obama-frank-underwood-house-of-cards/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-02T16:21:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:31.544Z og:title: Watch Barack Obama Do His Best Impression of Frank Underwood from 'House of Cards' og:description: Barack Obama does his best impression of Frank Underwood from House of Cards the Netflix series in new White House video og:url: https://time.com/3769130/barack-obama-frank-underwood-house-of-cards/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4487421d7c8e494c/6987867155a8593570a869fa/screen-shot-2015-04-02-at-11-55-38-am.png?branch=production&width=619&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 619 og:image:height: 348 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2015-04-02 at 11.55.38 AM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Barack Obama Do His Best Impression of Frank Underwood from 'House of Cards' twitter:description: Barack Obama does his best impression of Frank Underwood from House of Cards the Netflix series in new White House video twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4487421d7c8e494c/6987867155a8593570a869fa/screen-shot-2015-04-02-at-11-55-38-am.png?branch=production&width=619&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Barack Obama Do His Best Frank Underwood Impression > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ab9c7fd0-0cd5-4625-9c60-d5a38471f86f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: This is How Obama Pronounces Gif [Watch (HLS stream): This is How Obama Pronounces Gif](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ea3kCfBK.m3u8) (0:32)  _Published 2014-06-13. Obama announces his official position on the pronunciation of the word_  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 2, 2015 4:21 PM UTC   by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 2, 2015 4:21 PM UTC To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the White House web series _West Wing Week_, President Barack Obama [treated viewers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG1Nmy4gZIk&feature=youtu.be&t=4m56s) to an impersonation of Frank Underwood, the conniving President on the hit Netflix show _House of Cards_ played by actor Kevin Spacey. In the 12-second impression, he starts to attempt the character’s southern accent, but then reverts to his normal speaking voice. [In an interview last year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FJMkm-DKQeU), he admitted he watches _House of Cards_, but said, “I have to tell you, life in Washington is a little more boring than displayed on the screen. The truth of the matter is, if you followed me, most of my day is sitting in a room listening to a bunch of folks in gray suits talking about a whole bunch of stuff that wouldn’t make very good television.” ### Photos: What Obama's Hugs Meant  You can see it by Obama’s bowed head and Hagel’s sorrowful face – this is an “I’m sorry” hug, plain and simple. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images  This hug between Obama and former Press Secretary Jay Carney may have been commemorating Carney’s departure, but all people will remember is its awkwardness. Susan Walsh—AP  Here’s where Obama’s hug game is the strongest: with Michelle. The peaceful smile on his face, the warm, full-body embrace – this is clearly an “I love you” hug. Consider it the antidote to the Carney debacle. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  Obama’s hug with nurse Nina Pham after her battle with Ebola was a way to signal to the public that the disease is not as scary as some had thought. This is the hug as public health awareness. Olivier Douliery-—Getty Images  Critics charged that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie "hugged" the president, but the Republican claimed it was just a handshake. Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty Images  The photo of Obama hugging a victim of Hurricane Sandy went viral- his solemn face and her tear-stained one, his arms protectively around her shoulders – this is a presidential hug in its purest form. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP  Though Obama’s peck on Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s cheek was a pro-democracy smooch, her visible recoil from the kiss indicates that he may have been better off with a handshake. Jason Reed—Reuters  Obama was literally swept off his feet by pizzeria owner Scott Van Duzer. The now-famous bear hug was a “celebrities are just like us” moment, when Obama showed he could still joke around in a regular ol’ pizza joint. Sept. 9, 2012. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP ## Transcript Did you see the GIF? Coming up. First of all, there was an executive order. It's a gift now. So, he. He made the decision, Just so you know? A gift. I'm all on top of it. There it is. So, you've made up your mind? It's a gift? That, that is my official position. [ LAUGH ]. All right. It's done. We're going with it. I mean, I, I pondered it a long time. I think that one's gonna work. Yes. 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