President Donald Trump can’t keep quiet when his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, comes up, to the point that many observers believe the Republican politician is obsessed with his Democratic counterpart.
Trump, 79, is still facing widespread backlash for sharing a video clip that depicted Obama, 64, and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, as cartoon apes online. The president eventually deleted the offensive and racist post and refused to apologize.
However, Obama’s recent outing has some convinced he’s been returning the same fire Trump has dished out to others.
Social media has turned Trump’s appearance into an ongoing series, with every new photo sparking side-by-side comparisons to Barack Obama. Obama’s effortless swag — the tailored suits, the crisp lines, the way he wears a jacket instead of letting it wear him — keeps getting contrasted with Trump’s boxier silhouettes and extra-long ties that seem to have their own agenda.
Nearing 80, Trump doesn’t just make public appearances anymore — he fuels meme threads. Another line of attack against Trump centers on photos of his swollen ankles.
In July 2025, the White House announced the president was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a medical condition that can cause excessive swelling of the lower limbs.
Obama left his socks at home to attend the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome on Feb. 15 in Inglewood, California, which fueled more cracks aimed at his successor’s bulging legs.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was photographed sitting courtside near his 62-year-old spouse Michelle, his 24-year-old daughter Sasha Obama, and 75-year-old retired basketball legend Julius Erving.
A picture of Obama seemingly having a good time watching the top NBA stars compete in the round-robin tournament was uploaded to Threads. The image of the “A Promised Land” author was accompanied by two photos of Trump, one of which focused on his “cankles” overtaking his shoes.
In the first pic, Trump was seen walking next to his wife, first lady Melania Trump, after exiting the Marine One helicopter in September 2025. The second pic, taken in July 2025, was a cropped photo of the POTUS seated at the FIFA Club World Cup Final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“Moisturized and not swollen,” the Threads user wrote as the caption for the three-photo carousel comparing Obama’s noticeably thinner ankles to Trump’s bloated ankles. Other commenters joined in on roasting the sitting commander in chief.
“That shoe is working overtime with the kankle pressing down on it,” added a second Threads poster about Trump. The former “The Apprentice” reality television show host caught more heat when someone exclaimed, “Holy s–t! Big time CANKS!!!”
View on Threads
Similarly, one reply read, “Those swollen cankles are painful to look at.” Trump could not escape the spotlight placed on his apparent overall physical decline when a commenter suggested, “He’s rotting from the inside out.”
There were even suspicions that Obama purposely went to the All-Star Game with his ankles out as an intentional shot at the polarizing MAGA leader. One person speculated, “He [is] trolling Trump in a subtle way.”
“Obama has GOT to be trolling Trump with not wearing socks. In winter. And as usual, it’s perfect,” posted another fan of the 44th president of the United States. The Hawaii-born Democrat received more love when someone declared, “Obama is aging so beautifully.”
In the end, the latest ankle discourse says less about footwear and more about the rivalry that refuses to cool. Every time Donald Trump takes aim at Barack Obama, the internet seems to answer with a side-by-side — turning posture, tailoring and even exposed ankles into political commentary.
Whether Obama’s sockless courtside appearance was intentional shade or just California comfort, the reaction proves one thing: optics still matter. And in the ongoing, unspoken competition between the 45th and 44th presidents, even the smallest style choice can become a viral verdict.
