The president's first appearance on Jimmy Fallon's late-night talk show is part of a two-day trip to woo the youth vote
President Barack Obama didn't play saxophone during his appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but he did "slow-jam the news".
In his first appearance on the comedian's talk show, which will air Tuesday night, Obama admitted to being nervous.
The notoriously jittery Fallon didn't have to say as much; his nerves were as apparent as they used to be back in his flop-sweating first season in the host's chair.
The two got it together enough, however, to "slow-jam the news", a recurring segment on the talk show in which the host and his house band, the Roots, sing headlines of the day over quiet storm R&B jams.
In this segment, the president addressed the camera, discussing student interest rates. Then the camera cut to Fallon, where, according to the AP, he put his own sexy spin on the message.
"Now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people," Obama said. Then Fallon: "Ohhhh yeaahh. You should listen to the president."
The president's late-night appearance – largely off the record until it airs – comes in the midst of a two-day trip to college campuses, starting with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In a speech on education earlier in the day, the president called on Congress to take action to prevent interest rates on college loans from doubling in July.
Both men stood a lot to gain from Obama's appearing on a late-night comedy show – a trail blazed in 1992 by Bill Clinton, who played the sax on Arsenio Hall's show.
For his part, Obama is seeking re-election in the midst of a terrible economy. Here he hopes to appeal to a new, young generation of voters (many of whom may have become disenchanted since he took office), amp up his hipness factor and reach out to people concerned with education.
Jimmy Fallon on the other hand is an immensely talented comedian, but often perceived as a lightweight in a late-night field that includes the increasingly popular likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. A strong performance tonight could lend him a bit of gravitas, which might not be such a bad thing.
It wasn't all laughs, however. The host broached the recent secret service scandal with the president.
"The secret service, these guys are incredible," Obama said, according to a pool report. "They protect me, they protect our girls – a couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from that ..."
Of the incident in Colombia, he added: "What they were thinking, I don't know. That's why they're not there anymore."
Asked how well he and Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, know each other, Obama replied matter-of-factly: "I've met him, but we're not friends," Obama said. "His wife [Ann] is lovely."
Questlove, the Roots' drummer, leader and prolific tweeter, was uncharacteristically mum during the president's appearance. He did, however, tweet a picture from backstage: