Skip to content

You Decide: Is Obama Arrogant or Awesome?

Take our poll on the president's dramatic mic drop

President Barack Obama made sure his final White House Correspondents’ Dinner would be memorable on Saturday. After a merciless roast of Donald Trump, the president said he had just two last words: “Obama out,” after which he dropped the microphone to the ground and walked away from the podium.  

Dropping the microphone and walking offstage has long been a dramatic, if abrupt, way to end a speech. But it’s taken on a new life on the internet in recent years, with #micdrop coming into wide use on Twitter as a conclusion to a forceful message, a way to say the writer won’t be continuing a conversation or taking questions.  

While there’s a long history of mic-dropping in comedy and hip-hop, comedian Chris Rock was a major popularizer, making it a regular part of his standup sets in the 2000s. It took Obama to bring mic-dropping to the highest office in the nation.  

   


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.

Recent Stories

Capitol Ink | War powers crypt

‘Sold!’ There was no way to say no to Roll Call

House subcommittee advances Legislative Branch spending bill

Bondi defends Justice Department proposal to end standalone ATF

Longest-serving woman in Congress says she’s not stopping anytime soon

Major insurers pledge to improve preauthorization