Pete Souza is Using His Obama Photo Archives to Troll Trump


Former White House photographer Pete Souza has been making headlines lately, but not the way he usually does. Souza, it seems, is using his old Obama photo archives to comment on, mock, and otherwise troll the new Trump Administration.

If you follow Souza on Instagram, as many photographers no doubt do, you’ve probably noticed strange posts like this one, with the caption “Those damn lights ;)”

A photo posted by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

That’s just one of many examples on Souza’s Instagram of subtle digs at the new administration and President—it’s thought to be a reference to a New York Times article that claimed Trump’s staffers were holding meetings in the dark because they couldn’t figure out the light switches.

But this is far from the only dig and it’s certainly not the most direct. Other posts Souza has shared during President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office commented on everything from the controversial immigration ban (a photo of Obama talking to a young refugee girl), to the lack of diversity of Trump’s top advisors (a photo of four sets of shoes that shows Obama meeting with three top advisors, all women), to Trump’s tense back and forth with the Mexican president (a photo of Obama enjoying a drink with President Enrique Peña Nieto).

There are also photos that have been removed, like the one seen here that comments on the old vs new curtains in the Oval Office (the Trump administration reportedly replaced the red curtains with gold ones).

Meeting with top advisors. This is a full-frame picture. I guess you'd say I was trying to make a point.

A photo posted by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

Merrick Garland. Just saying.

A photo posted by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

Talking with a young refugee at a Dignity for Children Foundation classroom in 2015.

A photo posted by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

Souza’s antics have not gone unnoticed; since the Trump inauguration on January 20th, his following has gone from 285K to a whopping 773K. To see more of his work or decode the rest of the social commentary hidden on Souza’s Instagram account, click here.

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