President Obama Meets a 17-Foot Talking Giraffe

President Barack Obama checks out a 17-foot-tall, 2,200-pound talking robotic giraffe named Russell on the South Lawn of the White House during the Maker Faire, a showcase of innovation in business, technology, and manufacturing. The commander-in-chief, who jokes about the size of his ears, said he liked the ears on the electric animal created by Lindsay Lawlor of San Diego. He also observed that Russell has a bit of a British accent when it said “that tickles” (dialogue captured below via BuzzFeed):

As the Democratic president stares at the giraffe in the photo below, perhaps he’s wondering whether it can take on a GOP elephant.