Your Source for NPR News & Music

VIDEO: Obama Explains How That Lipstick Got On His Collar

I can explain, the president said Tuesday.
Brendan Smialowski

It was an "auntie" that left that lipstick mark on his collar, President Obama explained Tuesday evening at the start of a White House event marking Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

"I do not want to be in trouble with Michelle," he joked. And to the anonymous off-camera auntie of one attendee, he added: "That's why I'm calling you out." The White House has a 6+ minutes long video of his remarks. His explanation comes in the first minute. CBS News has a shorter version focusing on the lipstick comments here.

According to the president, the lipstick was a very visible sign of the warmth he was greeted with at the reception.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
Related Stories
  1. Texas charging another large group of migrants with “riot participation”
  2. El Pasoans catch glimpse of solar eclipse
  3. Texas criminally charges more than 200 migrants involved in alleged “riot” at the border
  4. Lebanese migrant allegedly tied to terrorist group appears in federal court with a black eye