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Obama, Trump Presidencies Contrasted in Pete Souza's New Photo Book ‘Shade'

'When Souza left the White House in 2017, he didn't know what it meant to "throw shade"-but soon learned he was doing it'

Former Obama White House photographer Pete Souza took to Instagram Wednesday to announce he has a new book coming out called "SHADE: A Tale of Two Presidents."

Publisher Little, Brown and Company wrote about the book on their website: "When Souza left the White House in 2017, he didn't know what it meant to 'throw shade' — but soon learned he was doing it, by posting photographs on Instagram from the Obama years along with captions that vividly define the contrast between the Obama and Trump administrations."

The picture book is slated for release in October. Souza's first book, "Obama: An Intimate Portrait," was a New York Times bestseller.

To contrast the social media posts by President Donald Trump after he took office, Souza began subtly commenting on the Trump administration and offering a dissenting view of Trump via his Instagram posts. His images and captions represent the President Barack Obama years in the White House. Using the word "citizen" to describe himself in his Instagram bio, Souza's Instagram following ballooned to nearly two million followers since he began his social photo commentary.  

"I have worked for two presidents in my life–one Republican (Reagan) and one Democrat (Obama)," Souza wrote on Instagram. "I spent almost every day with President Obama during his two terms, watching how hard he worked on behalf of all Americans. He was–and still is–someone who respected people from all walks of life. He made decisions based on facts. He respected democracy and the rule of law. Unlike his successor, he respected the office of the presidency."

He went on to say: "My commentary on Instagram has been subtle, sometimes humorous, and certainly more respectful than his (Trump's) commentary on Twitter. Through my photographs and commentary, SHADE will vividly show where we are as a country contrasted with where we were."

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I’m thrilled to announce that my new book, “SHADE: A Tale of Two Presidents” will be published in October by Little, Brown. Like many of you, I have been distressed by the barrage of lies and hateful comments emanating from the current administration on a daily basis. We have a president who clearly does not understand democracy and the rule of law. To him, a critical news story is fake news, and our intelligence agencies are all corrupt. His presidency has become a reality game show, with his primal need to achieve ratings and wins–for himself. He does not respect women, minorities and immigrants. I have worked for two presidents in my life–one Republican (Reagan) and one Democrat (Obama). I spent almost every day with President Obama during his two terms, watching how hard he worked on behalf of all Americans. He was–and still is–someone who respected people from all walks of life. He made decisions based on facts. He respected democracy and the rule of law. Unlike his successor, he respected the office of the presidency. Since President Obama left office, I have been posting photographs and captions here that juxtapose his presidency with the current one. I do this not as a partisan hack, but as an American citizen concerned about the future of our democracy because of our current president. My commentary on Instagram has been subtle, sometimes humorous, and certainly more respectful than his commentary on Twitter. Through my photographs and commentary, SHADE will vividly show where we are as a country contrasted with where we were. To read more about the book, click on: bit.ly/souzashade (link also in my profile). We are still working on the cover and I will post that once it is finalized. Stay tuned!

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