--- title: White House Defends Barack Obama's Use of the 'N' Word description: Earnest said that while it’s “understandably notable” that Obama said n----r, the broader point he was making is an old one canonical: https://time.com/3930623/barack-obama-n-word-wtf-podcast/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-22T17:42:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:02:54.226Z article:section: Politics og:title: White House Defends Obama's Use of the 'N' Word in Interview og:description: "It was consistent with arguments that he’s made in other settings." og:url: https://time.com/3930623/barack-obama-n-word-wtf-podcast/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef104fedd88357a/6988559f524fc03f19df3389/barack-obama-wtf-interview.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: US President Barack Obama address the US Conference of Mayors during their annual meeting in San Francisco on June 19, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: White House Defends Obama's Use of the 'N' Word in Interview twitter:description: "It was consistent with arguments that he’s made in other settings." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef104fedd88357a/6988559f524fc03f19df3389/barack-obama-wtf-interview.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # White House Defends Obama's Use of the _N_ Word in Interview > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 22, 2015 5:42 PM UTC  US President Barack Obama address the US Conference of Mayors during their annual meeting in San Francisco on June 19, 2015. US President Barack Obama address the US Conference of Mayors during their annual meeting in San Francisco on June 19, 2015.MANDEL NGAN—AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 22, 2015 5:42 PM UTC The White House stands by President Obama’s use of the _N_ word in his interview on the [WTF podcast](http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast) released Monday. Press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the President does not regret using the word and its use was justified in the context of his response on American race relations with host Marc Maron. While addressing last week’s massacre in Charleston, S.C., during the interview, Obama said the ugly racial hatred that has existed throughout American history persists, despite the progress we’ve made as a nation. “Racism — we’re not cured of it,” he [said](http://www.wtfpod.com/). “It’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say n—-r in public. That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination.” Earnest spent a significant portion of Monday’s press briefing responding to questions about the President’s use of the word: Why did he do it? Did he know it would be provocative? Did he set out to use it before participating in the interview? Earnest said there was no decision going into the interview on whether or not Obama would say the word, which he can also be heard uttering in the audiobook of his memoir _Dreams From My Father_. Earnest also said that while it’s “understandably notable” that the President used this word — which is increasingly apparent in the amount of attention that this slither of the interview has garnered — the overarching point he was making was one he’s made repeatedly in the past. “The argument that the President has made in the context of this interview is consistent with arguments that he’s made in other settings,” Earnest said. ### 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 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3930623/barack-obama-n-word-wtf-podcast/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3930623/barack-obama-n-word-wtf-podcast/"},"headline":"White House Defends Obama's Use of the N Word in Interview","datePublished":"2015-06-22T17:42:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:54.226Z","description":"Earnest said that while it’s “understandably notable” that Obama said n----r, the broader point he was making is an old one","url":"https://time.com/3930623/barack-obama-n-word-wtf-podcast/","keywords":["White House","Barack Obama","Obama"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef104fedd88357a/6988559f524fc03f19df3389/barack-obama-wtf-interview.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef104fedd88357a/6988559f524fc03f19df3389/barack-obama-wtf-interview.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US President Barack Obama address the US Conference of Mayors during their annual meeting in San Francisco on June 19, 2015.","caption":"US President Barack Obama address the US Conference of Mayors during their annual meeting in San Francisco on June 19, 2015.","creditText":"MANDEL NGAN—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3930623/barack-obama-n-word-wtf-podcast/","name":"White House Defends Obama's Use of the N Word in Interview"}}]}] ```