By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK (Related Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden joked Monday {that a} potential 2024 endorsement by Taylor Swift is a “labeled” matter as he made a uncommon media look to mark the tenth anniversary of “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”
Biden’s arrival was nominally a shock to the viewers: He stepped on stage after the introduced visitor — comic and actor Amy Poehler — famous that Biden had been a visitor on Meyers’ first present when he was vice chairman. Poehler stated she might get him to return, prompting Biden to enter to “Hail to the Chief.”
“It’s good to be again,” Biden instructed Meyers. “Why haven’t you invited me earlier?”
Going into this yr’s presidential election, Biden is in search of extra methods to succeed in out to voters, having largely averted White Home press conferences and on-the-record sit-downs with textual content reporters. Biden additionally skipped the normal pre-Tremendous Bowl presidential interview.
Meyers quizzed Biden a couple of conspiracy idea unfold amongst some conservatives on social media that Swift and Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce are part of an elaborate plot to assist Democrats win the November election.
“I’ve you on the hotspot right here,” Meyers requested. “Are you able to verify or deny that there’s an lively conspiracy between you and Miss Swift?”
“The place are you getting this data, it’s labeled,” Biden retorted, including that Swift endorsed him for president in 2020. Meyers adopted as much as ask if she would endorse Biden once more, prompting the president to laughingly add, “I instructed you it’s labeled.”
Meyers additionally requested Biden what he considered the “Darkish Brandon” meme, which options Biden with lasers for eyes. Biden quipped, “I resent the hell out of it,” then donned a pair of his signature aviator sun shades. The meme, which first surfaced in conservative circles, has been embraced by Biden’s marketing campaign and supporters, and is a top driver of gross sales in his marketing campaign merchandise.
Biden, at 81 the oldest-ever U.S. chief, additionally addressed considerations about his age, saying, “You bought to try the opposite man, he’s about as outdated as I’m, however he can’t bear in mind his spouse’s identify.”
It was an obvious reference to Donald Trump’s look on the Conservative Political Motion Convention exterior of Washington final weekend, when the previous president praised his spouse Melania and likewise referenced “Mercedes” — Mercedes Schlapp, his former aide who helps run the group and was within the viewers. Some on social media, in addition to Meyers in his monologue, advised that Trump had used the unsuitable identify for his spouse.
Biden added that what really issues is “how outdated your concepts are” and proceeded to blast Trump and Republicans for supporting rolling again abortion entry and different insurance policies which were “strong American positions” for many years.
The president additionally criticized Trump for praising those that participated within the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and for pledging to pardon those that assaulted cops and tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“That’s what occurs in Jap European international locations,” Biden stated. “That’s not what occurs in America.”
Meyers has taken frequent jabs at Trump, and devoted a lot of his present earlier than Biden’s look to criticizing the previous president and Republicans over a controversial court ruling in Alabama that upended in vitro fertilization therapy within the state.
He additionally criticized some Democrats who’ve tried to inoculate Biden from any criticism, taking part in a clip of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman saying those that criticize Biden would possibly as nicely be supporting Trump.
“Criticizing or mocking our leaders is a wholesome factor in a democracy,” Meyers stated. “I imply, Joe Biden appears to have the ability to take a joke. We right here at ‘Late Night time’ make jokes about him on a regular basis.”
Throughout his first three years as president, Biden has given 33 information conferences, the fewest in that point span since Ronald Reagan, in response to Martha Kumar, a Towson College professor emeritus and professional on presidents and the press. Biden has given simply 86 interviews, considerably fewer than the 422 given by Barack Obama throughout his first three years.
After recording the interview, Biden stopped off for some mint chip ice cream from Van Leeuwen, with Meyers becoming a member of him and getting the honeycomb taste. Earlier, he attended an occasion with donors at a midtown lodge.
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