--- title: Barack Obama Takes a Stand in the GIF Wars description: The Commander-in-Chief weighs in on the great (Internet word pronunciation) question of our time canonical: https://time.com/2871272/obama-tumblr-gif-wars/ author: Denver Nicks article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-13T16:55:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:57:30.605Z og:title: Barack Obama Takes a Stand in the GIF Wars og:description: The Commander-in-Chief weighs in on the great (Internet word pronunciation) question of our time og:url: https://time.com/2871272/obama-tumblr-gif-wars/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf882ffe411639b9f/69869788169ab05b3b279e67/obama-gif-tumblr.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4164 og:image:height: 2342 og:image:alt: Barack Obama, David Karp og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama Takes a Stand in the GIF Wars twitter:description: The Commander-in-Chief weighs in on the great (Internet word pronunciation) question of our time twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf882ffe411639b9f/69869788169ab05b3b279e67/obama-gif-tumblr.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # WATCH: Obama Takes a Stand in the Great GIF Wars > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### 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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1a93e124-ebed-4814-8912-5a6f5d004bd7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-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 [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Jun 13, 2014 4:55 PM UTC Obama announces his official position on the pronunciation of the word  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Jun 13, 2014 4:55 PM UTC Is it GIF, as in gift? Or is it GIF, as in gerrymandered? That is the question. President Barack Obama declared in a video released by the White House Thursday that he has long pondered the question of how to pronounce the Internet’s most debated word — and he’s come to a decision. In a meeting this week, Tumblr Founder and CEO David Karp asked Obama, “Did you see the GIF?” pronouncing it “jif” with the soft G. Technically speaking, this is the proper pronunciation, so decreed by [Steve Wilhite](http://techland.time.com/2013/05/22/how-do-you-pronounce-gif/), who created the GIF—short for Graphics Interchange Format—in 1987. “A GIF,” Obama replies, with the hard g as in gloat. “I’m all on top of it.” “So you’ve made up your mind, it’s a GIF?” Karp asks. “It is. That is my official position. I’ve—I’ve pondered it a long time,” Obama declares. Many in the media were quick to report on Obama’s mispronunciation of the term. But, as a proponent of the living language and non-stick-in-the-mudness in general, this writer, controversially among his colleagues, is fine with the President’s position. ## Transcript [00:00] Did you see the GIF? Coming up. First of all, there was [00:02] an executive order. It's a gift now. So, he. He made the [00:04] decision, Just so you know? A gift. I'm all on top of [00:09] it. There it is. So, you've made up your mind? It's a gift? [00:10] That, that is my official position. [ LAUGH ]. All right. [00:10] It's done. We're going with it. I mean, I, I pondered it [00:15] a long time. I [00:23] think that one's gonna work. Yes. 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