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Photo of little boy sofa-diving while his parents meet President Barack Obama in the Oval Office goes viral

Despite the young boy's formal outfit, he doesn't quite seem to understand the gravity of the moment

Kashmira Gander
Tuesday 09 September 2014 10:36 EDT
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President Barack Obama visits with a departing United States Secret Service agent and his wife as their son dives into a couch in the Oval Office, June 23, 2014.
President Barack Obama visits with a departing United States Secret Service agent and his wife as their son dives into a couch in the Oval Office, June 23, 2014. (White House/Flickr)

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While meeting the most powerful man in the world would be an experience most people wouldn’t want to waste a second of, one young boy wasn’t so convinced.

A photo taken in June, which has since gone viral, shows a blonde-haired boy obediently dressed in cream slacks, a navy blue blazer and brown boat shoes for the important occasion in the Oval Office, Washington.

But his attitude to the situation is akin to a child waiting for his parents to stop nattering with their friends at a supermarket checkout – as his face is squashed against a pillow and his legs dangle above him.

Behind him, his mother and his US Secret Service agent father grin as they chat to President Obama – and seem oblivious to the fact their son is using the Oval Office as a climbing frame.

The snap was taken by photographer Lawrence Jackson on 23 June, and posted on the White House’s official Flickr account. The account has been documenting the more light-hearted moments enjoyed by the Obama family during the President's tenure since 2009.

Other pictures include the President tucking into a large ice cream while dozens of cameras capture the moment, and Michelle Obama taking a selfie with Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker.

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