If you’re unfamiliar with former White House photographer Pete Souza’s Instagram account, allow us to brief you.
At first glance Souza’s (@petesouza) account reads like a visual homage to his time spent documenting Barack Obama. We see pensive Barack, goofy Barack, and my personal fave, papa Barack. Like Drake, there's a Barack for every mood.
Then again, if you look closer, you’ll notice that Souza has a formula. Often, the photos he posts of the ex-POTUS coincide with what’s happening with current POTUS, Donald Trump. On the brink of Trump’s first 100 days, we’ve been brought closer to nuclear war, experienced unprecedented countrywide participation in activism, and learned what a “Mar-a-Lago” is. None of this goes unnoticed by Pete Souza.
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When contrasted against the Tump administration’s headlines, Souza’s Instagram Obama-focused grid is the night to Trump’s day. When photos of a stiff Trump dancing with First Lady Melania circulated the internet, the photojournalist posted a warm photo of Barack and Michelle.
When many of us filled the streets to protest — for a number of reasons — over the course of several weeks, the 62-year-old Souza flooded our timeless with Obama embracing dignitaries and sipping tequila with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico.
This Easter, the internet proved itself relentless yet again as a photo of President Trump standing next to a large Easter bunny while a chyron captioned “Trump, First Lady Hold 1st Easter Egg Roll” appeared on the bottom of the screen. The internet had a field day.
Beyond the headlines and memes, it takes some digging to truly compare and contrast Obama’s first 100 days vs. Trump’s. And while Souza's photos aren't technically an exact to-the-day catalogue of Obama's first 100 days, they certainly capture the difference in culture between the two administrations. For Souza’s 1.2 million followers, it’s clear that many appreciate his well-timed “back to the future-like” approach.