White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway finds herself in the middle of a media firestorm because of a picture that was taken of her in the Oval Office on Monday night.
President Donald Trump met with representatives from historically black colleges and universities in the Oval Office, and during the meeting, Conway was pictured kneeling on a couch in the room.
Twitter followed with outrage. People were upset with Conway for putting her feet on the Oval Office furniture.
I have so many questions about this photo, but chief among them is why nobody is telling Kellyanne Conway to get her damn feet off the couch pic.twitter.com/tU0CBS36Fe
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) February 28, 2017
Zoom in on the couch pic.twitter.com/aiLh25TbIU
— #1 samir (@samir) February 28, 2017
did no one's mama tell Kellyanne Conway to take her feet off that damn taxpayer-funded couch? pic.twitter.com/I2BiqNNgAS
— Mathew Rodriguez (@mathewrodriguez) February 28, 2017
Kyle Griffin, producer for MSNBC's "Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell," thought about the picture for 12 hours.
It's been 12 hours and I still can't stop thinking about this photo. pic.twitter.com/Ugz6R22T9I
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 28, 2017
GQ special correspondent and member of "The Resistance" Keith Olbermann tweeted his outrage at Conway.
Get your fucking feet off the furniture, @KellyannePolls. This isn't your home. https://t.co/12DpukKDkS
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 28, 2017
The media decided that this was an important news story to cover, focusing on how individuals should conduct themselves in the Oval Office.
Kellyanne Conway checks her phone after taking a photo of President Donald Trump and leaders of black universities, colleges in Oval Office pic.twitter.com/MgVhCoJFuC
— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 28, 2017
Kellyanne Conway kneels on Oval Office couch, sparks debate on decorum in White House. https://t.co/8PGzEweWc2
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2017
Kellyanne Conway kneels on Oval Office couch, sparks debate https://t.co/hW1cEVlgV2
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 28, 2017
Kellyanne Conway put her feet on the Oval Office couch, and Twitter didn't take it too well. https://t.co/MIQsLCwKG7
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 28, 2017
Kellyanne Conway’s positioning on Oval Office couch sparks online debate about decorum in the executive mansion https://t.co/jOgCqIHemR pic.twitter.com/cNrEIBbGpZ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 28, 2017
Griffin tried to imagine what the outrage would be if anyone from the Obama administration sat on Oval Office furniture like Conway.
Trying to imagine the reaction if any Obama admin. official sat on a couch in the Oval like that.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 28, 2017
He doesn't have to imagine. There are numerous pictures of President Obama himself putting his feet on Oval Office furniture.
.@redsteeze Meanwhile pic.twitter.com/iIh6UYl8q3
— (((Fusilli Spock))) (@awstar11) February 28, 2017
The reaction to Obama's lounging was minimal compared to the backlash Conway has received. Obama's actions did not appear to ignite the debate that is now taking place over Oval Office decorum.
A few right-leaning outlets and hosts did report on Obama putting his feet on the Resolute Desk, but many of the publications that are now covering Conway's Oval Office actions did not report on Obama's.