President Obama weighs in on ... Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj?

(Reuters)

LOS ANGELES – On Friday afternoon, President Obama phoned in for an interview on Miami radio host Michael Yo’s call-in program “The Yo Show,” where the first question dealt not with foreign or domestic policy, but with the “American Idol” feud between judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.

Clearly, the President had spent some time thinking about the issue.

“I think they are going to be able to sort it out, I am confident. I am all about bringing people together, working for the same cause. I think both outstanding artists are going to be able to make sure that they’re moving forward and not going backwards,” he quipped, before continuing about how Carey is his favorite, “a wonderful lady” who has “done some events for us.”

And just in case you really needed to know, Obama doesn’t know Minaj personally – but he has the rapper’s tunes “on his iPod.”

While obama went on to talk about national affairs for the duration of the "Yo Show," some were not impressed by his entertainment news knowledge.

“For anyone who's a serious-minded voter, this is ludicrous. We'd like our president focused on global crises -- like Libya for example. But Obama isn't trying to reach serious voters, he's trying to reach a few clueless young people more focused on ‘American Idol’ than American security, ” Dan Gainor, VP of Business and Culture at the Media Research Center, told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “It's not just embarrassing that Obama has lowered the office of president to "American Idol" and "Sesame Street." It's infuriating. Maybe if he focused more on the economy, some of those same college students would be able to find jobs when they graduate.”

Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5WPR and author of “For Immediate Release” was also left scratching his head as to why our nation’s leader even indulged the question with a response.

“With the presidential election only a few weeks ago and key elements like the economy and Iran facing America, one wonders why Obama comments on issues like 'American Idol' or the Jets quarterback controversy.  From a communications standpoint, even youth don’t want a President commenting on the Kanye West/Taylor Swift incident when there are more important issues,” he said. “He appeared on the Letterman show the same day he snubbed Israel’s Prime Minister, and it’s unbecoming of the President.”

Entertainment industry website TheWrap.com ran a story Monday with the headline “Obama Stupidly Weighs in On Mariah-Minaj Dispute,” noting that his Mariah-Minaj answer played into the Republican narrative that Obama cares more about celebrity than doing his job.

“Can anyone think of a situation where a candidate got a boost by weighing in on some pop culture nonsense?” the site pondered.

The President’s “Idol” opinions have also drawn criticiscm across the Twitterverse, with comments such as “Obama puts his Nobel Peace Prize experience to work with Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minaj feud,” “Forget Israel-Iran conflict THIS is just HIS speed: Obama weighs in on Nicki vs. Mariah feud” and “Obama puts his Nobel Peace Prize experience to work with Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minaj feud.”

But not everyone's up in arms. Supporters argued that such Tinseltown wisdom makes him somewhat hip and youth-relatable.

“He’s cool with me,” tweeted another.