Biden interviewed by late-night comic Seth Meyers in New York

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden sat down for an interview with late-night comic Seth Meyers on Monday while he’s in New York for a campaign event with donors.

NBC said in a statement that Biden’s chat with the host was in recognition of the 10th anniversary of “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” The president began his New York visit by attending a private event with donors at a midtown hotel.

The show posted a clip of Biden’s appearance on social media, with comedian and actress Amy Poehler noting that Biden was a guest on the first show when he was vice president. Poehler said that she could get him to return, prompting Biden to enter to “Hail to the Chief.”

“It’s good to be back,” Biden told Meyers. “Why haven’t you invited me earlier?”

Going into this year’s presidential election, Biden is seeking additional ways to reach out to voters, having largely avoided White House press conferences and on-the-record sit-downs with text reporters. Biden also skipped the traditional pre-Super Bowl presidential interview.

Meyers has taken frequent jabs at former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination.

During his first three years as president, Biden has given 33 news conferences, the fewest in that time span since Ronald Reagan, according to Martha Kumar, a Towson University professor emeritus and expert on presidents and the press. Biden has given just 86 interviews, significantly less than the 422 given by Barack Obama during his first three years.

After recording the interview, Biden stopped for some mint chip ice cream from Van Leeuwen, with Meyers joining him and getting the honeycomb flavor.

The New York Post first reported that Meyers was interviewing the president.