President Obama’s Next Job? Brand Ambassador!

2 minute read
Ideas
Kirsten Salyer is a writer and the former Deputy Editor of TIME Ideas

What will President Barack Obama do when he leaves office? If his sketch at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents Dinner was any indication, he could be a shoo-in for a job as a brand ambassador.

If he gets bored with golf, that is.

The “Couch Commander” video was littered with references to companies and products. Vice President Joe Biden modeled his collection of aviators. Michelle Obama scolded her husband for using her iPhone for a disastrous Snapchat Obamacare PSA—and then she went to SoulCycle. Former House Speaker John Boehner offered some advice—”Stop sending me all these LinkedIn requests”—and reminisced on post-politician life: “Yesterday, I had a beer at 11:30 in the morning, and McDonald’s serves breakfast all day long.” He said he also “finally got the grand bargain on a sweet Chevy Tahoe,” before offering Obama a cigarette.

Obama has said he plans to stay in D.C. for at least two years after his term ends. Does he have what it takes to make a career change and dive into the Kardashian-filled world of promoting brands online? Let’s evaluate: Name recognition? Check. Huge social network? Check. Four to eight years of self-marketing experience. Check.

He even seems to be laying the groundwork to enter into the fashion influencer space.

“I can just be me,” he said. “I can wear my mom jeans in peace.”

Heads up, Levi’s.

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