Obama Defends His Ugly Jeans

In an interview with Today Show’s Meredith Viera (short video after the jump), President Obama defended the jeans he wore to throw out the first pitch at in last week’s major league baseball All-Star game.

The jeans — a little too faded and riding a little high in the waist and at the ankle — betrayed our handsome president’s nerdy roots. (The super white running shoes and the zipped up jacket with a fitted waist only added to the cringe factor, but nobody’s talking about that, so I won’t either. )

So what does he have to say for himself? Was this his attempt at … trendsetting? Does he expect fathers around the world to hike’em up and bleach’em out?

No. He tells Viera, simply, “I’m a little frumpy,” and “those jeans are comfortable.”

“Here’s my attitude: Michelle, she looks fabulous. … For people who want a president to look great in tight jeans, I’m sorry.”

And also? He said he hates to shop. Just two years ago, he only owned four suits. “She [Michelle] used to tease me, they’d get a little shiny.”

He’s also taking a pass on the low-rider trend. “I’m not 20.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Obama in a totally geeky get-up. Remember last summer when he took a break from campaigning to go biking with the family around Chicago? Then, he tucked a polo into some snug and belted (also somewhat faded jeans). As a nation, we’re just going to have to accept this and move on.

Photos: TimesOnline, AP