Highlights From President and First Lady's Appearance on ABC's THE VIEW

President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, and First Lady Michelle Obama made their first joint appearance on THE VIEW on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET) on the ABC Television Network. Below are select conversations from their appearance: 

(Conversation #1)

BARBARA WALTERS: This is a very close race still. What would be so terrible if Mitt Romney were elected? He was Governor, he will probably be a little more moderate, he wants…he says… I’m being Elisabeth, okay? (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Elisabeth’s very good at being Elisabeth (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)

BW: Ok, then I’ll be Barbara, alright. Okay.

JOY BEHAR: Let Barbara be Barbara.

BW: Let Barbara be Barbara. My point is, would it be disastrous for the country if Mitt Romney were elected?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, you know I think America is so strong, and we’ve got so much going for us that we can survive a lot. But the American people don’t want to just survive, we want everyone to thrive (AUDIENCE APPLAUSE), we want folks to have a shot at success, and so the question then just becomes, whose policies are more likely to lead us to where we want to go?

(Conversation #2)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I’ll give you a very clear example. Yesterday Governor Romney on “60 Minutes” was asked, does he think it’s fair that he pays a lower tax rate than somebody who’s making fifty thousand dollars a year, and he said yes, I think it’s fair and I also think that’s the way you get economic growth, the notion being that if people at the top have more income, they’ll invest and they’ll create jobs. I’ve just got a different vision about how we grow an economy. I think, Barbara, that you grow an economy from the middle out, not from the top down, and that when the teacher and the bus driver and the receptionist and the office manager -- when they’ve got a little money in their pockets, when they’re doing well, then that means business has more customers, that business makes more profits, they hire more workers, and that’s been the history of our country, we grow fastest when the middle class is doing well and when folks who are trying to get into the middle class have ladders of opportunity. So that’s a different vision about how we move the country forward, and ultimately it’s going to be up to the American people to make the decision about who’s got the better plan.

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA: I’m voting for him. (AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

(Conversation #3)

BARBARA WALTERS: (addressing the POTUS but pointing at FLOTUS) Someday she should run for office, but she said she doesn’t want to.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Look, I mean Michelle would be terrific, but temperamentally I just don’t think that’s something (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER) she….

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA: No, it’s absolutely true.

BW: Why?

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA: It takes a lot of patience to be the President of the United States and I’m not that patient. You know, I am not.

(Conversation #4)

BARBARA WALTERS: What are you going to do with the rest of your life?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, first things first here (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER/APPLAUSE). We do have an election ahead and there are all kinds of things I want to do in a second term… Putting folks back to work and making sure our schools are up to snuff.

BARBARA WALTERS: And then?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: And we’ve got another war to wrap up. In a post-presidency, the thing that I think I would enjoy most is spending time working with kids. I love teaching. I miss teaching and I’m not sure necessarily it will be in a classroom, but the idea to be able to go around to various cities and helping to create mentorships and apprenticeships and just giving young people the sense of possibility.

(Conversation #5)

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: You said Malia is staying up late. I know she’s also into tennis, but are you planning on coaching Sasha again in basketball?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The Vipers are going to be, I think, undefeated again this year. That’s where they’re going, The Vipers. [IN AUDIBLE]

EH: How are they looking? So let me ask you what’s more challenging, coaching up the girls on the court or trying to get everybody in Congress to get on the same page?

EH: Okay

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Oh, no contest. The girls they play like a team. (AUDIENCE APPLAUSE/LAUGHTER). I’m just saying (sic)

SHERRI SHEPHERD: They know team work.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Congress could take some lessons from The Vipers…

EH: You should take them to a game.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: (continues) in terms of (sic) they pass the ball, they high five each other (POTUS simulates a high five), but they’re doing great.

(Conversation #6)

JOY BEHAR: And we’re back with President Barack Obama and First lady Michelle Obama. Okay, I want to talk about Libya for second, because on 9-11 of this past year, our embassy was attacked there and we lost four people, including the Ambassador, and it was reported that people just went crazy and wild because of this anti-Muslim movie -- or anti-Muhammad, I guess, movie -- but then I heard Hillary Clinton say that it was an act of terrorism. Is it? What do you say?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, we’re still doing an investigation. There’s no doubt that the kind of weapons that were used, the on-going assault, that it wasn’t just a mob action. Now we don’t have all the information yet, and so we’re still gathering it, but what’s clear is that around the world there’s still a lot of threats out there.

President Obama’s historic visit to “The View” on July 28, 2010, was broadcast on ABC on July 29 and marked the first time a sitting United States President had visited a daytime talk show. His appearance ranks as the show’s most-watched broadcast ever in Total Viewers (6.59 million). This visit marks President Obama’s fifth appearance on “The View,” having also been a featured guest in May 2012, March 2008 and November 2004. Mrs. Obama made her fourth appearance, having previously been a guest in May 2012, April 2011 and June 2008 -- when she made her daytime television debut as a special guest co-host.

About “The View”:
“The View,” a live, one-hour daily talk show from ABC, features Daytime Emmy Award-winning hosts Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd. It’s the original forum in which real women discuss everyday issues, share their opinions and engage in colorful conversations. “The View,” broadcast in HDTV and produced in 2-channel stereo sound, is now available to watch online daily at 4:00 p.m., ET/1:00 p.m., PT on ABC.com. “The View” is produced by ABC and Ms. Walters’ Barwall Productions, with Ms. Walters serving as executive producer along with Bill Geddie, who also serves as executive producer for “The Barbara Walters Specials.” “The View” is directed by Mark Gentile. For breaking news and updated videos follow “The View” (@theviewtv) and hosts Barbara Walters (@BarbaraJWalters), Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg), Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar), Elisabeth Hasselbeck (@ehasselbeck) and Sherri Shepherd (@SherriEShepherd) on Twitter.™

“Red, White & View”:
In 2008-09, the five spirited hosts of ABC’s popular talk and entertainment show, “The View,” left an indelible mark on the political landscape. Whether discussing the day’s political headlines, from the war in Iraq to universal healthcare and teen pregnancy, the latest musings from our nation’s capitol or political infidelities, the outspoken hosts can always be relied on for their unique opinions, quick wit and sparking colorful water cooler conversations that can only be seen, live, exclusively on “The View” (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET) on the ABC Television Network. In September 2008, the show launched a successful “Red, White & View” campaign highlighting interviews and informational segments that helped promote civic responsibility during the election season. The “Red, White & View” campaign was another example of how “The View” established itself as an important player in the political process.

Photo credit: ABC/Donna Svennevik

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