Obama trends as Twitter shows appreciation for him on Trump’s birthday

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

Today might be President Donald Trump’s birthday, but to many, it is Obama’s Day.

The current president has turned 74 today, but instead of national attention being directed to him and celebrating his life, his predecessor Barack Obama is trending online.

The hashtag #ObamaDayJune14th and #ObamaDay is dominating the Twittersphere. While memes depicting the Nobel Peace prize winner in some of his most presidential moments abound, #TrumpWearsAdultDiapers has almost 100,000 mentions.

READ MORE: Barack Obama shares action plan for ‘real change’ amid protest

But this was not an organic movement that simply popped up overnight. For weeks, notes have been flooding people’s direct messages urging them to participate in this social media takeover. Some people tagged the president with pictures of Obama, while others started the hashtag #AllBirthdaysMatter.

#AllBirthdaysMatter was a direct swipe at 45 and his repeated dismissal of the Black Lives Matter movement. As far as 2016, Trump has publicly said that Black Lives Matter is un-American and that a more inclusive phrase is more appropriate for the nation. He said to a group of protesters in Virginia, “You’re going to hear it once, ‘All lives matter!”

By hijacking the president’s birthday — telling Trump that while his birthday is important to celebrate it is not just about him … all birthdays matter — perhaps in a very silly way it can be communicated to him why personalizing protest is important for oppressed communities.

Whether social media users posted #ObamaDay, #AllBirthdaysMatter, #BestPresidentEver, the simple purpose of this organized action of social unrest was achieved: it pissed the president off.

How can you tell?

READ MORE: Barack Obama breaks silence on George Floyd’s death: ‘We can and must do better’

It is Sunday morning, and the president has hardly tweeted anything out. Typically, he comments on the pundits on Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC. So far, he has tweeted a Breitbart article, a thank you to Philip Schuyler for standing up for him on his birthday, and another tweet of an article celebrating Flag Day, also June 14, and this upcoming Flag week.

He also retweeted a birthday wish to the US Army, which is also celebrating its 245th anniversary. Neither #HappyBirthdayDonaldTrump, #FlagWeek, or #HappyBirthdayArmy has gotten as much attention as anything mentioning Barack Obama.

Check out some of the Obama love for #ObamaAppreciationDay below:

https://twitter.com/kreams31/status/1272210067174109184

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/71nhtCniY10lItS1qwhmlt?t=0

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZuyOfTmcLfkxzqMdftiCV