On Barack Obama‘s Instagram, a joyful romantic photo of the former president and his wife Michelle quickly gained almost 2 million views. Obama posted the pic on Valentine’s Day, and thanked the former First Lady for making “every day feel like an adventure.”
Fans responded with compliments and lots of online emoji love in the comments — such as one that read “Cutest Couple Alert.”
But it was another former President who won the Valentine’s Day first couple social media battle, if indeed the winning metric is who gets the most views. Because more than 13 million tuned in after the official Bill Clinton Twitter account posted an amorous old photo of Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Clinton seemed to invite the snark, captioning his photo: “Happy Valentine’s Day to my forever Valentine!”
Happy Valentine’s Day to my forever Valentine! pic.twitter.com/BVKdMYRcLO
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) February 14, 2023
The post predictably spurred a comment fest — mostly unkind — that Twitter owner Elon Musk might be grateful for. (Musk is always talking about how much people engage with Twitter — and they sure engaged with this throwback pic of Bill and Hillary.)
The comments, given the rocky and very public marital path of the Clintons, are chiefly disparaging. But some made a point to note that this sometimes says — as reactions often do — more about the reactors than the subject they’re reacting to.
NFL reporter Mike Clemens articulated this theme as well as anybody, writing: “99% of the 17,000 comments responding to a 76-year-old man publicly wishing a Happy Valentine’s Day to his wife of nearly 50 years shows just how many cynical, lonely losers live on Twitter – because they have no life. Want to Make America Great Again? Start with a mirror.”
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