In his first late-night television appearance as the sitting president, Joe Biden virtually sat down with Jimmy Fallon on Friday, Dec. 10, to discuss the COVID vaccine, the relationship between Democrats and Republicans and…his cooking skills.
When Fallon asked Biden how to get more people vaccinated against the coronavirus pandemic, the President had a cheeky recommendation: "have more people listen to your song," a nod to Fallon's recent single "It Was A... (Masked Christmas)" with Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion.
Biden previously shared his enjoyment of the single on Twitter, writing, "'tis the season (to get boosted)." Despite his good humor, he maintained that it was important to get vaccinated, adding, "It's patriotic to get this done, not a joke."
As their conversation progressed, Fallon expressed his confusion on why Republicans and Democrats seemingly couldn't "get along" after Biden revealed that he didn't have "a single Republican vote" to help pass his Build Back Better initiative.
The President explained that it was a relatively new development and referenced his friendship with senator Bob Dole, who died earlier this month.
"A lot of Republicans and Democrats used to get really on well together," he said. "One of the reasons I was a little bit late coming on [to film the show] is because I did Bob Dole's eulogy today. He asked me on his death bed whether I would do his eulogy. We were friends. We disagreed, but we were friends."
Fallon later sparked criticism online from Republican viewers after he mentioned that he was part of a "standing ovation" for Biden at the Kennedy Center, in part because the late-night host felt that the President was "bringing class back" after Donald Trump's presidency.
This isn't the first time Fallon has drawn political ire from his audience; in 2016, his interview with then-Presidential nominee Donald Trump, during which the host ruffled the candidate's hair, was widely-criticized by Democratic supporters for its lightheartedness.
As Biden and Fallon's conversation flowed, the president revealed that while he may have been vice president in the past, there were still some things that surprised him and First Lady Jill Biden when they moved into the White House.
"Jill and I come from middle-class backgrounds," he explained. "We're not used to people waiting on us. In the White House, there's somebody to make your breakfast, or someone to pack your clothes, or someone to carry your bag."
So they struck a deal with their kitchen staff. "The guys who run the kitchen on the second floor, we don't have them come in and do breakfast for us," he shared. "There's no need for them to have to do breakfast for us. We can make our own eggs or pour a bowl of cereal."
When Jimmy asked if the president makes his own eggs in the morning, Biden replied, "Well I don't, Jill does."
He recounted a story where his daughter was asked if her dad could cook, to which she answered, "'My daddy can't do much. He can boil water and make pisketti, but he can't do much else.'"
"And guess what?" Biden asked. "She's right."
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