President Barack Obama set another precedent, becoming the first sitting commander-in-chief to appear on “The Tonight Show.”
On Thursday, June 9, POTUS, kicked off the late-night talk show with the popular “Slow Jam the News” sketch, highlighting his eight years in office, while host Jimmy Fallon added a few pop culture references, including calling Obama “Barack-y with the good hair,” alluding to Beyoncé’s epic Lemonade album.
But is wasn’t all laughs. During the sit-down, the conversation took a serious turn, when Obama discussed the final “223 days” left in his second term with topics like parenting, post-presidency, and the election.
Though he admitted the final stretch hasn’t been all that sentimental, one thing he’s sure to shed a tear about is daughter Malia. This week, the proud papa will watch his eldest child graduate from high school. “I’ve got some sunglasses,” Obama said about the ceremony being “one more example of the president crying.” As for Malia heading to Harvard, “I think [she] is very eager to get out of there.”
As for their last flight on Air Force one, Obama added, “The last time you get on Air Force One, it’s your last flight you get to go anywhere you want,” Obama said, adding that he wants to go “some place warm” after experiencing eight consecutive winters in D.C. “Michelle and I will take a break somewhere, let the girls manage for themselves, hopefully they’ll be OK when we get back.”
In the meantime, the 54-year-old is keeping a close eye on the election. Earlier this week, Obama endorsed Hillary Clinton. “It was a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to have a contested primary,” said Obama, who believed Bernie Sanders “pushed the party and challenged them,” ultimately making Hillary Clinton “a better candidate.”
As for the presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, Obama noted that this year’s election needs to “remind the American people that this is a serious job, this is not reality TV,” he said.
“The truth is I am worried about the Republican Party. Democracy works, this country works when you have two parties that are serious and trying to solve problems, at the end of the day, you want a healthy two party system. [The election] hasn’t been pleasant to watch. I actually haven’t been enjoying watching some of the things that have been happening. As a whole my hope is that there’s some corrective action, and we start figuring out how to work together. My hope is that the Republican Party steps back and reflects,” he said.
