Barack Obama cops grilling from YouTube celebrities

US president Barack Obama has been grilled by three YouTube celebrities and despite the format, still copped some tough questions.

GloZell Green, Bethany Mota and Hank Green have nearly 14 million followers between them on the video platform and were invited by the White House to speak with the president in their latest attempt to reach out to younger voters.

Viewers were invited to submit questions to #YouTubeAsksObama, with the best asked in three separate one-one-one chats with Mr Obama, streamed live online.

The interviewers didn’t shy away from asking the hard questions, with the president quizzed on racial profiling by police, cybersecurity, education, the legal status of marijuana and his relationship with Fidel Castro, who “puts the d--k in dictatorship”, according to Ms Green.

Mr Green, one half of the vlogbrothers web series, also asked how the US military’s use of drone strikes would be viewed by future leaders.

“I think it’s entirely legitimate to say that as technologies develop, we need to step back and say ‘do we have a legal framework and a set of controls on it?’" Mr Obama said.

“It’s something that we take very seriously, and I would argue that today’s technologies enable us to defend ourselves causing less damage to communities than they’ve done in the past.”

Amongst the heavy hitting interrogation, the president offered a few personal insights.

His superpower of choice would either be the ability to fly, or to be able to speak any language.

“The flying thing seems pretty cool, right?" Mr Obama said.

"Sorta zipping around. As long as you could stay warm.”

He also added he’d wanted to be an NBA player or an architect as a child.

In a lighter moment, Ms Green offered Mr Obama some green lipstick for the women of the White House, including his “first wife”, a clumsy reference to First Lady Michelle Obama.

“Do you know something I don’t?” Mr Obama pondered, much to the horror of Ms Green, who quickly corrected herself.

In an entirely appropriate end to the event, the YouTube trio took a group presidential selfie.

It follows Mr Obama’s appearance on actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis’ famously awkward parody interview series, Between Two Ferns.