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12 photos that make Trump's work ethic look nothing like Obama's
12 photos that make Trump's work ethic look nothing like Obama's
Mark AbadiApr 8, 2018, 22:37 IST
Reuters
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Critics of President Donald Trump have called his work ethic into question since he was elected.
Infamous photos of the president, including ones of him playing golf and watching television, have bolstered their arguments.
His predecessor, Barack Obama, was also documented closely by a photographer while he was working out, preparing to give speeches, and taking meticulous notes.
Below, see some of the photos that have prompted questions about and comparisons between abut Trump and Obama's work ethics.
Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump's work ethic has frequently been called into question.
There's the infamous photo of him posing inside a truck cabin when critics argued he should have been wrangling votes for the Republican healthcare bill.
There's the time the White House photographed him during the government shutdown purportedly working at his desk, which was conspicuously empty.
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Then there are the 100 and counting days he's spent at one of his golf courses - nearly a quarter of his entire presidency.
Every president draws comparisons to his predecessor, and for some people, there couldn't be more of a contrast between the work ethic of Trump and former president Barack Obama. While we can't truly know what goes on behind closed office doors, people have pointed to various photos of the two commanders-in-chief to draw conclusions about how they work, in and out of the White House.
Below, we compiled some of the most infamous photos that have prompted questions about and comparisons between Trump and Obama's work ethics.
Some people thought this photo showed Trump's misplaced priorities.
In March 2017, Trump posed for pictures inside a truck cabin during a meeting with members of the American Trucking Associations on the White House lawn.
At the same time, Republican lawmakers were struggling to gain support for an early version of their healthcare bill with its critical deadline just hours away.
Trump drew criticism for opting to pose in the truck rather than fight for the bill, and some said it demonstrated a lack of interest in securing the votes on Trump's part.
Photos of him riding a golf cart make it easy for critics to say he doesn't exercise.
Trump's exercise regimen — or lack of one — has been fodder for critics since he entered the political spotlight.
He argued in January that he gets all the exercise he needs on the golf course. Of course, Trump is frequently photographed riding golf carts when he hits the links, making it easy to poke holes in that claim.
This photo didn't make things any better.
Making matters worse, in June of last year, Trump was caught committing one of the cardinal sins of golf: driving his golf cart on the green.
Perhaps you get a pass when you own the course — the moment took place at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, after all — but it angered some golf fans nonetheless and provided ammunition for critics who accused him of being lazy.
In contrast, Obama was frequently photographed exercising, often waking up before the sun rose.
By contrast, Obama was known to wake up before 5 a.m. to exercise, according to his personal assistant Reggie Love. Obama's preferred sport was basketball, and he frequently played both on the campaign trail and with White House aides and officials in Washington.
This White House photo during the government shutdown didn't do Trump any favors.
In January, the federal government shut down on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration.
The White House soon released photos purporting to show Trump working at his desk. But some critics questioned whether Trump was actually getting any work done at all in the photo, noting the president's empty desk, stiff posture, and seemingly disinterested gaze.
Obama's meticulous note-taking was well-documented.
Trump critics point to photos of former President Barack Obama to contrast their levels of work ethic.
One popular photo, published by White House photographer Pete Souza, shows Obama's handwritten notes on a draft of a speech he gave in 2009 on healthcare.
For Trump, not so much.
Huffpost reporter Matt Fuller compared Trump's desk photo to one taken a year earlier, in which Trump is purported to be writing his inaugural address.
"An emerging trend is that Trump and his staff have no idea how to stage photos to make it seem like he's actually working," Fuller tweeted.
Obama was photographed reviewing his remarks before an especially painful occasion.
Another photo released by Souza shows Obama in a classroom at Newtown High School in Connecticut, reviewing remarks he would soon give at a memorial service for the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
This photo of Trump led people to believe he only cared about how he came off on TV.
In February 2018, photos circulated of Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One next to a TV tuned to Fox News. The photo gave more fodder to those who believe the president is more concerned with how he's perceived on television than doing hard work.
Obama was noted for his intense focus in the famous photo 'The Situation Room.'
Souza's iconic photo "The Situation Room" shows Obama and other White House officials huddled in the Situation Room, intently monitoring updates of the US Navy SEALs mission that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
Trump was once caught watching TV when he was supposedly in meetings.
In March 2017, the White House told reporters Trump was heading to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for three meetings with unidentified people in 55 minutes. But during the time of the supposed meetings, Trump was photographed watching golf on television by an Instagram user at the clubhouse.
But there's time for Trump to change the perception.
The president has cameras recording his every move, so regardless of what critics say about Trump's work ethic, there will be ample opportunity for him to disprove them.
