In the middle of a Fourth of July celebration at the White House—in fact, his last one ever aw—President Barack Obama broke out in song to wish Malia a happy 18th year on this here crumbling Earth.
“Just because it’s a job of a father to embarrass his daughters, I’ve got one last job,” Obama says on stage. “It just so happens that we celebrate our country’s birthday on the same day that we celebrate my oldest daughter’s birthday. So just a quick Happy Birthday for Malia.” Though POTUS has used his vocal gifts to great effect in the past, this isn’t his best work, perhaps a sign that his aging pipes have destroyed his pitch. Doesn’t matter. Do better.
More significant is that the festivities’ performers Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe—both of whom Obama describes as “very conscious about their responsibilities and obligations”—chipped in to sing, which is a cool birthday present. Malia is a whole 18, a reminder for many of us that time is creeping along to a gruesome end at an alarming speed.
