Barack Obama Calls David Cameron A ‘Bro,’ But Does He Even Know What It Means?

Barack Obama’s relationship with David Cameron appears to be getting rather cozy these days.

Talking to The Mail On Sunday, The U.K. prime minister revealed that Obama sometimes calls him “bro” and that their relationship is stronger than ever.

“Yes, he sometimes calls me bro. The President has said the special relationship is stronger than it has ever been privately and in public and I agree.”

Obama addressing Cameron as a “bro” is certainly an improvement over “Yo, Blair,” which is how George W. Bush used to greet Tony Blair, but is it actually a term of endearment? It appears that Barack Obama would do well to look at what ‘bro’ actually means.

So, Obama sometimes calls Cameron “Bro”. Personally, id keep quiet about that. http://t.co/orKx3VEAVY pic.twitter.com/skkqSKKPD9

— Mike Cameron (@mikercameron) January 4, 2015

So, either Obama is either using the term in an affectionate, man crush kind of way, or he’s labeling Cameron a beer swilling party animal who likes to emulate black rap culture.

If history is any indication, it looks like the relationship is becoming even more special. Obama has always appeared to enjoy Cameron’s company, even if it’s sometimes got him into trouble, as it did when the pair snapped a selfie at Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

The pair have also enjoyed attending sporting occasions together and in 2012, Barack Obama flew Mr. Cameron on his private jet to a college basketball game, where they were snapped eating hot dogs.

Although a healthy relationship is likely to benefit both countries, there have been murmurings that some of their social meetings are somewhat contrived. This appeared to be the case when the British prime minister was widely mocked for tweeting a photo wearing a serious expression when on the phone discussing the Ukraine crisis with Mr. Obama.

Some may question whether such a close relationship is appropriate in politics, but it’s not the first time that British and American leaders have maintained a friendship out of office. President Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher maintained a close friendship long after their careers finished and Blair and Bush also enjoyed a friendship that courted much controversy.

Whatever the real depth of their personal relationship, the term bro does appear to be a rather strange choice of word for Barack Obama to use. Although unlikely to actually be derogatory, is it not a rather casual term and arguably not befitting a man of Obama’s status and responsibility?