Barack Obama Criticized for "Latte Salute" to Marines—Was It Disrespectful?

President of United States was holding cup of coffee in hand when he acknowledged uniformed officers on ground

By Rebecca Macatee Sep 24, 2014 5:14 PMTags

When you're the leader of the free world, your every move—and mocha, chai tea or Pumpkin Spice latte, apparently—is up for debate.

President Barack Obama experienced this Tuesday when, upon exiting Marine One in New York, he greeted officers in uniform with what the internet has dubbed a #LatteSalute.

The video of Obama getting off the aircraft and greeting the marines waiting was posted on the White House's Instagram page. In it, the 53-year-old father of two acknowledges the officers waiting, saluting with the same hand holding his coffee.

Although there's no official regulation requiring the president to salute those in the armed forces, it has, per the New York Times, been tradition since Ronald Reagan started it in 1981. His White House successors followed suit, opting to properly salute the officers regardless of their own military status (or lack thereof).

Some are calling Obama's casually caffeinated gesture "disrespectful," while others are quick to point out that his predecessor George W. Bush issued a sloppy salute of his own back in 2001.

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Only instead of a cup, Bush had a pup (the family's Scottish Terrier, Barney) in his arms when he acknowledged the officers waiting for him as he stepped off Air Force One.

The former president valued this demonstration of mutual respect, though. "I do miss saluting men and women who volunteered to defend our nation during the war," Bush said, per Politco, at an event earlier this year. "Many are coming home and are preparing for new missions as civilians, and I intend to salute these men and women for the rest of my life."