There weren’t many laughs, but US President Joe Biden received some self-appointed advice from Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday when the president sat down for his first personal interview with a late-night presenter since taking office. The presenter of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” of ABC! He expressed frustration with the unresolved issues in Washington and advised the president: “I think you should start shouting at people.” Biden disapproved, saying the country was still suffering from the effects of the pandemic, but insisted that “it has never been more optimistic in my life.” Kimmel quickly intervened: “Why are you so optimistic? Does not make sense!” Biden said he was pinning his hopes on the young, “the most educated, the least biased and the most charismatic generation in American history.” “This generation will change everything,” Biden said. “We just have to make sure we don’t give up.” The show was filmed in the afternoon in Los Angeles. Biden is visiting the city for this week’s America Summit, which brings together countries from around the hemisphere. First Lady Jill Biden was in the audience, along with Biden’s granddaughter Naomi and her fiancé. Biden’s only previous appearance as president late at night was in December, when he spoke at a distance with Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” Kimmel began his interview by asking about gun control, citing a series of recent mass shootings. “I guess I mean, why didn’t we do anything about it?” Kimmel asked. Biden responded that “this is not your father’s Republican Party” and accused his political opposition of being too scared to do anything about guns because it fears the challenges of the primary election. Kimmel pressed Biden on whether he could use executive orders to increase gun control, noting that former President Donald Trump “went out like Halloween candy.” Although Biden has taken some unilateral steps on firearms, the president has said he is not interested in overstepping his bounds. “I do not want to imitate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution and constitutional power,” he said. Biden said he knows some people feel that “Republicans are not playing square, because you are playing square.” “Well, guess what,” he said. “If we do what they do, our democracy will literally be jeopardized. Not for fun. “ Kimmel replied, “It’s like playing Monopoly with someone who will not go through or follow any of the rules, and how can you make some progress if you do not follow the rules.” “You have to send them to jail,” Biden joked. Elsewhere in the interview, Kimmel said he was disappointed with the progress made on issues such as climate change and abortion. “We have moved backwards,” he said. Kimmel later agreed to Biden’s challenges, particularly the forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling that is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized access to abortion nationwide. “What an awesome job you have,” Kimmel said. “I’m glad you did. But, boy, oh boy, does that sound like a bad gig? ‘ Biden said he was considering executive orders that could help access abortions – “we are considering it now” – but said the best solutions were through legislation and elections. If the court overturns Roe v. Wade, Biden said, “it will cause a mini-revolution and many of these people will vote out of office.”
