President Obama Visits “The View”
President Barack Obama will be joining the hosts of “The View” this Thursday (7.29.10), in an appearance that ABC said would be “the first time in history a sitting United States president has visited a daytime talk show.”
In a news release on Monday, ABC said that the presidential episode would be broadcast on Thursday but will be taped on Wednesday. Mr. Obama’s chat with the unpredictable co-hosts, including the staunch liberal Joy Behar and the equally staunch conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck, is emblematic of his administration’s outreach to unconventional media outlets.
“Given the difficulty of reaching people in this hyperactive media environment, we look for opportunities to reach people in environments that are not traditional forums for political newsmakers,” Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, said in an e-mail message. “That’s why we have been willing to have the president on Leno, Letterman and ESPN.”
Mr. Pfeiffer said an appearance on “The View” had been contemplated for several weeks because the president was scheduled to be in New York City for a fund-raiser.
