Fact Check

Did President Obama Say 'I Can't Believe I Have to Miss a Good Day of Golf' for July 4?

An open microphone supposedly caught President Obama muttering caustic comments about the 4th of July holiday.

Published July 4, 2013

Claim:
An open microphone caught President Obama muttering caustic comments about the 4th of July holiday.

On 4 July 2013, the web site Duh Progressive published an article about President Obama's supposedly muttering caustic comments about the 4th of July holiday that were inadvertently picked up by an open microphone after he delivered an Independence Day speech:

The smaller of Obama's two microphones, which was clipped inches below Obama's shirt collar, was supposed to have been turned off immediately after his closing remarks to guests and reporters on the White House lawn. But the microphone remained "hot," catching the President muttering: "God, this holiday sucks! All this national pride shit get's [sic] on my nerves."

"You'd think we'd stop celebrating the birth of the worst imperial power in history — but nooooo ... we have to do this flag-waving bullshit every year," Obama muttered more as he made his way from the podium. "I can't believe I have to miss a good day of golf for this crap!"

Links and excerpts referencing this article were soon being circulated via social media, with many of those who encountered the item mistaking it for a genuine news article. However, the article was just a bit of heavy-handed political satire from Duh Progressive, whose disclaimer notes:

Duh Progressive is a political satire site. While some of the individual quotes, people and events mentioned on Duh Progressive may be real, most of the content is fictional and should not be taken seriously.

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.