President Obama on Thursday joked about Hillary Clinton’s personal emails, his birthplace and golfing habits, just the latest example of the president using a late-night comedy show to display his lighter side.
Other than fielding questions about the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Mo., the president kept his appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” silly.
First, Obama read so-called mean tweets that were directed at him on social media.
“Is there any way we could fly Obama to some golf course halfway around the world and just leave him there?” the president said, reading a Twitter post aloud.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Obama, the self-professed golfing addict, declared.
Kimmel introduced Obama as “the first Kenyan-born, Muslim socialist to be elected president,” poking fun at the debate over his birth certificate.
“In Kenya, we drive on the other side of the street,” the president added, explaining why he doesn’t sit behind the wheel these days.
Obama also touched on the simmering controversy over Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email server and domain.
“I can’t share it with you,” Obama told Kimmel of Clinton’s email address.
Republicans have criticized Obama for his frequent appearances on late-night television, saying it is beneath the office of the presidency. The White House counters that Obama is dealing with an increasingly diverse media environment, which requires him to reach audiences in different ways.
However, Obama avoided making any major news, declining Kimmel’s request to unilaterally get rid of daylight saving time.
“This is a California thing,” Obama said. “In the East Coast, you don’t mind losing that hour because that’s a signal that spring is here.”
