Barack Obama just explained why he hates taking selfies

Barack Obama is a good sport, so naturally he's spent years putting up with fans who wanted to take selfies with him. He smiled that gorgeous smile and stared into the many phone screens held up in the air by strangers' arms ... but he doesn't really like selfies, okay?

As the former POTUS kicked off the first day of The Obama Foundation Summit — a Chicago gathering of inspiring civic leaders like Prince Harry and Lin-Manuel Miranda — USA Today reported that he made a very bold move and straight up banned selfies with him and his wife, Michelle.

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"It may seem trivial, but it's not," Obama said about his dislike of selfies. "I say this because ... one of the weird things about becoming president is I found that people were no longer looking me in the eye and shaking my hand."

This isn't the first time Obama has spoken up about selfies and trolled millennials for their obsessive cell phone usage.

During a speech at D.C.'s Benjamin Banneker Academic High School last year, Obama took to the stage and joked that those who had to wait for him were so lucky they had their phones to keep them company.

While flawlessly impersonating a millennial, he jokingly composed a text to a friend saying "he was right there, girl I couldn't believe it" and then lifted his arm to mimic taking a selfie.

We get you, Barry. In addition to being extremely impersonal, the sheer act of taking a selfie can look extraordinarily dumb

Earlier this year when discussing social media at the University of Chicago, Obama also brought up safety concerns related to sharing selfies online, advising people to be more cautious.

"If we had pictures of everything I’ve done when I was in high school, I probably wouldn't have been President of the United States," Obama joked. "So I would advise all of you to be a little more circumspect about your selfies and what you take pictures of."

As the father of two teenage daughters, Obama probably already deals with his fair share of dad selfies, so maybe cut the guy a break next time you see him and give him a nice, respectful look in the eyes instead.

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