Sasha And Malia Obama's Reaction To This Longstanding White House Tradition Got A Mixed Response
Sasha and Malia Obama's lives were under a media microscope throughout their father's presidency. While there is continued interest in their post-presidential experiences, with the public following the sisters' lives in Los Angeles, the scrutiny they faced during their time in the White House was especially harsh. This is a fact that the public was reminded of during Baron Trump's 18th birthday, as debate was opened about his susceptibility to public criticism.
An example of the scrutiny faced by the Obama girls centers around their reaction to a longstanding White House tradition. While there are some major differences between Sasha and Malia, the sisters displayed some pretty similar, teenager-like behavior during the annual turkey pardoning ceremony of 2014. The teens were mostly accused of looking bored and unimpressed throughout their father's speech. When former President Obama asked his daughters if they'd like to pet the turkey, Sasha notably replied, "Nah."
While most media outlets took Malia and Sasha's reactions in stride, interpreting them as typical behavior from a 13 and 16-year-old, a political staffer penned a harsh Facebook message to the teens. "Dear Sasha and Malia: I get you're both in those awful teen years, but you're a part of the First Family, try showing a little class," Elizabeth Lauten wrote (via ABC News). The scathing criticism didn't go without its own controversy.
A look at Lauten's words for the Obama girls
Elizabeth Lauten was the communications director for Rep. Stephen Fincher, R-Tennessee, when she penned a critical social media post to Sasha and Malia Obama. The republican staffer accused the girls of being disrespectful during the 2014 pardoning ceremony while also slamming their wardrobe choices, a message that contained both racist and sexist tones. "Act like being in the White House matters to you," Lauten wrote in the now-deleted Facebook post. "Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar. And certainly don't make faces during televised public events" (via ABC News).
The communications director received quick backlash for her words, being condemned by both media outlets and fellow White House employees for her willingness to target the teens so harshly. In the wake of this negative response, Lauten deleted her message, issued a public apology, and stepped down from her political position. "I'd like to apologize to all of those who I have hurt and offended with my words," she wrote. "And I pledge to learn and grow (and I assure you I have) from this experience."
Overall, the incident seemed to serve as a reminder that the children of political figures shouldn't be targets of public criticism. "If Lauten were a mom, particularly of teen girls, she'd have a lot more empathy, I suspect," Diana Reese wrote for The Washington Post. "And she'd probably agree with me that kids in the White House should be off-limits to media scrutiny."
The former president poked fun at his daughters' boredom
Sasha and Malia Obama received some mixed reactions during their appearance at the White House's 2014 turkey pardoning ceremony, but this wasn't the last time they attended the Thanksgiving event. The sisters similarly appeared alongside then-President Obama in 2015, looking in better spirits than the year prior and laughing at some of their father's turkey-themed jokes. The head of state even gave his daughters a lighthearted shout-out, making for another sweet father-daughter moment between Obama and his girls.
"I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me," he said. "They do this solely because it makes me feel good, not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing," Barack said (via The Guardian). While his daughters didn't make it to the 2016 ceremony, the final year he hosted the event, they were mentioned in his speech again. The commander-in-chief was joined by his young nephews, Austin and Aaron Robinson, who he compared to his daughters.
"Unlike Malia and Sasha, [they] have not yet been turned cynical by Washington," he joked. "They still believe in bad puns. They still appreciate the grandeur of this occasion. They still have hope." (via The White House). We don't know if Malia and Sasha made it through the turkey pardoning ordeal unscathed, but we hope they eventually came around to the president's dad jokes.