--- title: President Obama Is Tired of Taking Selfies description: President Barack Obama is tired of taking selfies, and he's certainly taken many during his presidency canonical: https://time.com/4218764/barack-obama-selfie-ban/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-12T01:15:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:01:33.281Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Is Tired of Taking Selfies og:description: He just wants to shake your hand og:url: https://time.com/4218764/barack-obama-selfie-ban/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34307ea8f6a9539f/69887d648e0601e86646495e/barack-obama-david-ortiz-selfie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: barack-obama-david-ortiz-selfie og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Is Tired of Taking Selfies twitter:description: He just wants to shake your hand twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34307ea8f6a9539f/69887d648e0601e86646495e/barack-obama-david-ortiz-selfie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Is Tired of Taking Selfies > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=3375bbfe-aeb8-4f6f-ac76-62f02d2c78b7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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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 [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 12, 2016 1:15 AM UTC  Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (L) poses for a "selfie" with U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House on April 1, 2014. Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (L) poses for a "selfie" with U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House on April 1, 2014.Win McNamee/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 12, 2016 1:15 AM UTC President Barack Obama is tired of taking selfies, and he’s certainly [taken man](https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/02/12/president-obama-selfie-stick-and-healthcaregov)y during his presidency. “No selfies,” Obama told an Illinois crowd on Wednesday in a [video captured by BuzzFeed](https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/697575134127747073). “I want to tell you ahead of time.” “Now this is one thing that changed, by the way,” Obama said. “If we had had smartphones when I ran for president, I’m not sure I would’ve run because folks just have their phones; they won’t shake my hand anymore. It’s like, ‘Hey! I’m here! Live! In front of you!’ So we’re not taking selfies, but I want to shake as many hands as possible.” > [](https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/697575134127747073) For different reasons, [landmarks](http://time.com/3938078/disney-world-selfie-stick-ban/) and [museums](http://time.com/3740278/selfie-stick-museum-ban/) around the world have banned selfies and selfie sticks due to the danger they might pose to surrounding works of art or the dangerous lengths to which photographers might go for the sake of a good shot. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4218764/barack-obama-selfie-ban/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4218764/barack-obama-selfie-ban/"},"headline":"President Obama Is Tired of Taking Selfies","datePublished":"2016-02-12T01:15:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:01:33.281Z","description":"He just wants to shake your hand","url":"https://time.com/4218764/barack-obama-selfie-ban/","keywords":["Barack Obama"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34307ea8f6a9539f/69887d648e0601e86646495e/barack-obama-david-ortiz-selfie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34307ea8f6a9539f/69887d648e0601e86646495e/barack-obama-david-ortiz-selfie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"barack-obama-david-ortiz-selfie","caption":"WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 01: Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (L) poses for a \"selfie\" with U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House to honor the 2013 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox April 1, 2014","creditText":"Win McNamee/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":"https://time.com/4218764/barack-obama-selfie-ban/","name":"President Obama Is Tired of Taking Selfies"}}]}] ```