WASHINGTON — Red Sox slugger David Ortiz inked an endorsement contract with cellphone manufacturer Samsung just a day before he snapped a selfie with a grinning President Obama at the White House Tuesday in an image that went viral.
Ortiz took the close-up with his phone in the middle of a televised photo op as the 2013 championship Sox met with the president at the White House Tuesday and presented him with a team jersey.
As the official White House photographer and members of the press prepared to take a shot, Ortiz interjected: “Actually, would you mind if I take my own?”
One of his teammates immediately yelled out “Cha-ching,” in an exhortation synonymous with cash captured on video.
“What an honor! Thanks for the #selfie, @BarackObama,” Ortiz tweeted afterward as he sent out the image.
Samsung Mobile US immediately retweeted the picture to its 5 million followers, writing: “Big Papi, Big Selfie.” It told followers who asked that the shot was taken with a GalaxyNote3 phone, hometown site Boston.com reported. The phone is retailing for $150 to $700 on Amazon.com, depending on the service contract.
A White House official told The Post the president and his staff had no advance knowledge of Ortiz’s Samsung selfie.
The White House generally guards the president’s image when it comes to unauthorized endorsements.
Samsung didn’t comment late Tuesday when asked whether the selfie was part of Ortiz’s endorsement deal, which was reported Monday by SportsBusiness Journal, or whether it provided the phone.
A company spokesman told ABC News: “We have a relationship with David and the Red Sox. We partner with people who have like-minded values and fit with who we are as a brand.”
Samsung scored a coup when Ellen DeGeneres snapped a selfie with a Samsung during the Oscars, surpassing a record held by Obama for the most-retweeted selfie.
Obama, in an appearance on Ellen’s TV show in March, called it a “pretty cheap stunt,” although he appeared to be happy to play along with Ortiz.
“Beards or no beards, it is an honor to welcome the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox to the White House,” Obama said during the event, in a crack about the scruffy look that helped drive the Sox to their third championship in a decade.
Obama also paid tribute to the team for helping Boston heal after the tragic Boston Marathon attack, saying: “Boston and the Red Sox were one this season.”