Poli Alert Political & Civics
Related Articles
President Joe Biden made his first late-night TV appearance as president Friday night, albeit virtually.
The appearance is the first of any sitting president on a late-night show since former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Appearing remotely via video on “The Tonight Show” Friday night, Joe Biden was his usual, chipper self while talking with host Jimmy Fallon about topics ranging from the state of the country, his approval ratings, and how he’s tackling some of the bigger issues across the country.
Biden fielded light questions from Fallon, talking about his infrastructure bill, the Build Back Better plan and how it’ll affect families, and how life in the White House has been.
“We used to have the best infrastructure in the world … highways, bridges, the whole works. And now we rank No. 13 in the world. And that has a lot to do with quality of life. It has a lot to do with whether or not if we’re going to be competitive,” said Biden. “The world is changing, and we’re so far behind the curb.”
Biden lamented not having “a single Republican vote” for his Build Back Better plan, while Fallon openly wondered why Democrats and GOP members couldn’t be as cordial as he saw them at The Kennedy Center Honors the previous weekend.
“The truth is, before COVID hit, the Trump arm of the Republican party, which seems to be the Republican party now, did not even show up to the Kennedy Center,” said Biden. “They wouldn’t go to the awards.”
The president said, “Republicans and Democrats used to get on well together,” using the late Sen. Bob Dole as an example because he had asked Biden to do his eulogy for him.
“We disagreed, but we were friends. We used to have an awful lot of that relationship. And that still exists, except that QAnon and extreme elements of the Republican party and what Donald Trump keeps sort of feeding … it makes it awful hard,” Biden said.
Fallon transitioned into a discussion over the coronavirus vaccines, the latest on the booster shots, and what it will take to get more people to get vaccinated. President Biden emphasized the importance of Americans getting the booster shots.
Biden mentioned how Jimmy Fallon’s new song featuring Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion titled, “It Was A…(Masked Christmas),” was a great way to get the message out.
‘Tis the season (to get boosted). See you soon, @FallonTonight! https://t.co/o5BVMo8oL3
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 10, 2021
The interview ends with Fallon asking, “If we talk again, and check in this time next year, what do you hope we’re gonna be talking about?”
“I hope we’re gonna be talking about how we’ve gotten COVID more under control, I hope we’re gonna be talking about how we have actually reduced the burden on middle-class folks financially, that salaries continue to go up. I hope we’re gonna talk about unemployment’s still going down, I hope we’re gonna be talking about inflation being under control,” said Biden.
But “the other thing,” Biden continued, “I really hope that we’re going to be able to demonstrate that we’ve made worldwide progress on the environment. Because I think it’s a critical thing. And pray God, pray God we will have passed the John Lewis Act and the Voting Rights Act, because what’s going on now, in about 30 states, is literally un-American. It’s about trying to prevent people from voting, rather than allow them to vote.”
“So there’s a full plate, but I think we can do it. I’m optimistic about the future, and I’m optimistic about this country,” Biden says.
“So I think the sky’s the limit on what we can do in the second quarter of the 21st century,” the President concluded.
