Just like they did when he was President, the media gushed Tuesday morning over pictures of Obama vacationing, as if he was some kind of Hollywood celebrity. ABC, CBS and NBC couldn’t get enough of the former president kitesurfing in the Virgin Islands with Virgin mobile billionaire Richard Branson, oohing and ahhing at his athleticism and relaxed demeanor.
CBS This Morning highlighted Obama’s “rather active” vacation . Anchor Gayle King touted that Obama was “quite the athlete” and that it looked like he was having “a great time.”
KING: Everyone says he's quite the athlete. That smile looks like, “What, me worry?” It looks like he’s having a great time.
Over on ABC’s Good Morning America, Paula Faris happily noted that “President Obama is even competitive, yes, on vacation.” Faris noted Obama was “having fun again” after being barred from water sports while he was President and that it was “nice to see a smile on the former President’s face.” Robin Roberts noted Obama was “making up for lost time.”
On NBC’s Today, the panel oohed and ahhed over video of Obama kitesurfing. Anchor Matt Lauer then fawned over a picture of him smiling, saying:
LAUER: Look at this picture. You want to see a guy who looks like he’s had some weight lifted off his shoulders?
SHEINELLE JONES: Look at that smile
MARIA SHRIVER: That’s a great picture of him, right?
Over on MSNBC at the 9:00 hour, anchor Stephanie Ruhle spent five minutes interviewing the professional kiteboarding instructor that was with Obama and Branson while they were on the water. Ruhle gushed Obama was “killing it” at the “really tough” sport. At one point Ruhle asks, “Would you characterize these guys as really good athletes?”
