WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- The White House is considering putting a moratorium on all selfies with President Barack Obama after Samsung used his selfie with Red Sox player David Ortiz as a promotional stunt.
When Samsung released a statement saying they were excited that David "Big Papi" Ortiz had captured a "historical moment" using one of their phones, the White House was not amused. White House press secretary Jay Carney said the White House never approves of the president's image being used for corporate promotion. Now the stunt could have ruined presidential selfies permanently.
"[The president] obviously didn’t know anything about Samsung’s connection to this, and perhaps maybe this will be the end of all selfies," White House Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer said on CBS’ Face the Nation. "In general, whenever someone tries to use the president’s likeness to promote a product, that’s a problem with the White House."
The White House has reportedly expressed their concern to Samsung, and while no legal action has been brought against the phone company, White House lawyers have communicated with them.
Ortiz claims the photo was taken on a whim and had nothing to do with his corporate sponsorship deal with Samsung.
[New York Post]
