"Happy Birthday." What a jam. There are almost too many versions of the G-rated folk song to choose from when preparing for a celebration of someone's birth, meaning President Barack Obama's decision to kindly unveil his own take on the American classic at Monday's Fourth of July throwdown should make future parties a breeze.
"And just because it's a job of a father to embarrass his daughters, I've got one last job," Obama told the crowd that had gathered in the East Room of the White House to catch performances from Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe. "It just so happens that we celebrate our country's birthday on the same day that we celebrate my oldest daughter's birthday." Obama then totally crushed a version of "Happy Birthday," definitely not embarrassing Malia Obama at all.
Malia, who turned 18 on Monday, is reportedly set to enjoy a gap year before kicking off her college career at Harvard. Last summer, she became the envy of us and all her friends by scoring the best internship ever on the Williamsburg set of HBO's Girls. Malia's younger sister Sasha, who turned 15 in May, is still a few years away from a gap year of her own. That gives Michelle just enough time to convince her to attend her alma mater, Princeton University.
Obama also spoke of the importance of the White House's Fourth of July celebration on Monday, pointing to the "miracle" of America. "We enjoy the hotdogs, we enjoy the burgers, we enjoy the barbecue, we enjoy the day off for a lot of us, we enjoy the fireworks," Obama said. "But it's important to remember what a miracle this country is."
