>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK,
EVERYBODY. LET'S SAY HELLO TO OUR FRIEND,
MR. JON BATISTE. HELLO, JON! >> Jon: HELLO. WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU? >> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS,
TWO GRAMMY NOMINATIONS TODAY! >> Jon: YES, INDEED. OH, I'M SO GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL
THAT THE MUSIC IS CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE AND ADDING TO
PEOPLE'S LIVES. >> Stephen: WELL BE DESERVED. YOU AND WORRY WONG. THAT'S THE NAME OF THAT ALBUM. >> Jon: "MEDITATIONS." "MEDICATIONS. AND "CHRONOLOGY OF A DREAM." YOU WERE THERE. >> Stephen: I WAS THERE. AS A MATTER OF FACT I WAS JUST
LISTENING TO THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU, YOU AND RACHEL, THIS
WEEKEND. AMAZING. >> Jon: OH, YES. >> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT MY
VOTE. >> Jon: HEY, NOW, LET'S GET
IT! COME ON! >> Stephen: LET'S SWING THIS
ONE. >> Jon: YEAH, YEAH. >> Sephen: HEY, STICK AROUND,
I'M ABOUT TO INTERVIEW BARACK OBAMA. I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE IT. >> Jon: I HEARD, I HEARD. I THINK I WILL. >> Stephen: JON BATISTE,
EVERYBODY. >> Jon: LATER ON. >> Stephen: THANKS, JON. FOLKS, YESTERDAY, I HAD THE
HONOR TO SIT DOWN WITH OUR 44th PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, WHOSE
NEW BOOK, "A PROMISED LAND," IS OUT NOW. JIM? WELL, PRESIDENT OBAMA, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME TODAY. >> IT IS WONDERFUL TO BE HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> Stephen: IT'S GOOD TO SEE
YOU. >> IT IS GOOD-- IT IS GOOD TO BE
SEEN. I'VE BEEN SEEING YOU ON
TELEVISION, BUT IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU IN PERSON. >> Stephen: THAT'S NICE. HOW OLD ARE YOU? ARE YOU-- ARE YOU-- ARE YOU 18
AND 54? >> I'M NOT THE DEMOGRAPHIC YOU
ARE LOOKING FOR. >> Stephen: IT DOESN'T COUNT. I APOLOGIZE, IT DOESN'T COUNT. >> MICHELLE SAYS HEY. >> Stephen: GOOD. >> YOU KNOW SHE LOVES YOU. >> Stephen: I HAVE REALLY
ENJOYED SPENDING TIME WITH HER OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. >> I KNOW, AND SHE ADORS YOU. SHE THINKS THE WORLD OF YOU. I THINK YOU'RE OKAY. >> Stephen: CAN WE JUST TAKE
MOMENT-- I CAN JUST-- AND I WANT TO TALK. I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO
DRINK YOU IN FOR JUST A MOMENT. BECAUSE I'M HAVING TO GET USED
TO LOOKING AT A PRESIDENT. ( LAUGHING )
AGAIN. YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTEN OUT OF--
I'VE GOTTEN OUT OF THE HABIT. I HAVE TO WARM UP FOR JOE BIDEN. I DON'T WANT TO PULL ANYTHING
WHEN I SEE HIM TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE. YOU HAVE TO EASE ME INTO THIS A
LITTLE BIT. >> JOE'S GOING TO BE AGREEMENT. >> Stephen: I HAVE NO DOUBT. >> AND KAMALA IS GOING TO BE
GREAT. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE BIG
CHALLENGES AHEAD, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE POTENTIAL OF
RETURNING TO A PRESIDENCY THAT IS ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION AND
TRYING TO DO RIGHT BY ALL PEOPLE AND NOT JUST SOME. >> Stephen: A LOT OF
ANNOUNCEMENTS OF CABINET POSITIONS OVER THE LAST TWO
DAYS? >> YES, PEOPLE I KNOW. >> Stephen: GUYS YOU KNOW. THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF RETURN TO
THE SORT OF-- THE STABILITY AND-- WHAT'S THAT WORD? COMPETENCY. ( LAUGHS )
OF YOUR EIGHT YEARS. WHICH IS NOVEL. WHICH IS AS GOOD AS A VACATION
RIGHT NOW, SOMEBODY THAT ACTUALLY WANTS TO DO THE JOB
THEY'RE HIRED TO DO. THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA,
ISN'T IT. >> Stephen: AND HAS
EXPERIENCE, AND HAS READ ABOUT STUFF, AND KNOWS WHERE COUNTRIES
ARE. IT'S GREAT. >> Stephen: SO, HOW YOU BEEN? HOW YOU BEEN THE LAST FOUR
YEARS? I HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF YOU. >> NO. >> Stephen: AND IT'S BEEN KIND
OF-- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION-- IT'S BEEN
KIND OF CRAZY OUT HERE. ( LAUGHING )
WE'RE ALL-- WE'RE ALL A LITTLE TIRED. THIS IS HOW I WANT TO SIT. THIS IS MY ACTUAL-- THIS IS
AMERICA'S POSTURE. WE'RE A LITTLE BIT LIKE A BONED
FISH RIGHT NOW, AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT'S NICE TO SEE
YOU. SO I'M--
>> LISTEN, I'M-- I AM GOOD. >> Stephen: YEAH. >> BUT I THINK THAT I-- I AM
TYPICAL OF A LOT OF US WHO ARE LUCKY ENOUGH THAT OUR JOBS
HAVEN'T BEEN ENDANGERED, BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY OUT OF A JOB AS A-
AS A CONSEQUENCE OF COVID. >> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE ANY
PROSPECTS? >> I HAVEN'T HAD ANYBODY IN MY
IMMEDIATE FAMILY GET SICK. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT THE BILLS. AND, YOU KNOW, SO ON THE ONE
HAND, WE'VE HAD OUR GIRLS AT HOME. THAT HAS BEEN A COMPLETE JOY FOR
US. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEM. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE-- I
THINK I'VE USED THIS PHRASE BEFORE-- THE SHAMBOLIC NATURE OF
THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE, OBVIOUSLY, HAS BEEN FRUSTRATING. >> Stephen: ESPECIALLY AFTER
YOU LEFT A GAME PLAN. >> YES. >> Stephen: FOR THIS VERY
SPECIFIC THING. AND TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE YOU
LEFT. >> YES, YES. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE
TO WATCH THIS RESPONSE? THAT-- THAT'S THE FRUSTRATION. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD FOR
ANYONE. I MEAN, YOU SEE EVEN PEOPLE LIKE
ANGELA MERKEL WHO IS HERSELF A SCIENTIST, EXEMPLARY, BUT YOU
STILL SEE SOME SPIKES IN GERMANY. BUT LET'S TAKE CANADA, WHERE THE
DEATH RATE IS 39% OURS PER CAPITA, RIGHT. THAT-- THAT'S A MEASURE OF IF WE
HAD DONE THE WORK THAT WAS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, RIGHT. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT INNING
VACCINES-- I'M GLAD TO SEE THE VACCINES COMING ON BOARD. BUT PRELIMINARILY COMMUNICATING
EFFECTIVELY, RESPECTING THE SCIENCE, NOT UNDERMINING THE
LEADING EPIDEMIOLOGIST IN THE COUNTRY AND SAYING, HE'S AN
IDIOT. YOU KNOW, BEING CONSISTENT IN
TERMS OF MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING, NOT SUGGESTING THAT,
YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOME ACT OF OPPRESSION BUT RATHER JUST A
COMMONNED SENSE THING TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GETTING SICK. HAD WE JUST TAKEN THOSE STEPS,
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT WE WOULD HAVE SAVED SOME LIVES. AND, IRONICALLY, THE ECONOMY
WOULD BE BETTER BECAUSE WE WOULD NOT BE SWINGING BACK AND FORTH
IN THE WAYS THAT WE HAVE, AND PEOPLE WOULD FEEL MORE
CONFIDENCE ABOUT MAKING DAY-TO-DAY DECISIONS ABOUT
SHOPPING OR, YOU KNOW, GOING OUT. >> Stephen: BESIDES THE
OBVIOUS NATURE OF THE RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO. >> YES. >> Stephen: AND IS THE
ECONOMICALLY VITAL THING TO DO, ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THEY DID
NOT SEE THE POLITICAL ADVANTAGE OF LOOKING LIKE YOU CARED. >> YES. AND I THINK THAT THAT IS A
MEASURE OF HOW DETACHED FROM REALITY AND HOW EMBEDDED
IDEOLOGICAL AND CONSPIRATORIAL THINKING HAS BECOME, WHERE
YOU'RE DOING IT EVEN WHEN IT'S TO YOUR DISADVANTAGE, RIGHT. IN YOUR ORIGINAL SHOW, RIGHT,
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A-- YOU'RE SATIRIZING A CERTAIN ATTITUDE. BUT YOU NEVER THOUGHT THAT FOLKS
WOULD ACTUALLY START BELIEVING. >> Stephen: I DID NOT KNOW I
WAS A PROPHET. I THOUGHT I WAS A COMEDIAN. >> YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE A
COMEDIAN. BUT NOW YOU'RE-- YOU COULDN'T
MAKE UP SOME OF THE STUFF THAT YOU'RE SEEING. AND IT IS TO THE DETRIMENT OF
THE COUNTRY, BUT AS YOU SAID, IT'S ALSO-- IT RUNS CONTRARY TO
WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SMART POLITICS IF, YOU KNOW, THE
REPUBLICANS WANTED TO MAINTAIN THE WHITE HOUSE. AND THAT IN SOME WAYS IS MORE
TROUBLING BECAUSE NOW IT'S NO LONGER EVEN STRATEGIC. IT IS-- YOU'RE DRINKING YOUR OWN
KOOL-AID IN A WAY THAT I THINK IS TROUBLESOME. AND ONE OF THE BIG CHALLENGES
THAT JOE BIDEN IS GOING TO HAVE IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUNCTURE
THAT, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION BUBBLE THAT-- NOT JUST
REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS, BUT A SIZABLE PORTION OF VOTERS ARE IN
RIGHT NOW. >> Stephen: THAT GETS YOU TO A
QUESTION THAT'S BURIED DEEP IN THESE PAGES RIGHT HERE, BUT IT
COULD BE THE ONLY QUESTION I ASKED YOU UPON. IF I ONLY HAD ONE QUESTION TO
ASK YOU RIGHT NOW IT WOULD BE, "WHAT HAPPENS NOW?"
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENS NOW WHEN YOU HAVE HALF OR 70% OF THE
REPUBLICANS, SO MAYBE ABOUT 40% OF THE PUBLIC THINK THAT JOE
BIDEN WON BY CHEATING, AND THEY BELIEVE THAT ALL THESE FANTASIES
BEING PROMULGATED ABOUT DEMOCRATIC CABALS THAT SEEM TO
BE PULLING THE STRINGS IN STATES, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN,
ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. HOW DO YOU THEN SPEAK TO THOSE
PEOPLE, EVEN IF YOU ARE SOMEONE LIKE JOE BIDEN WHO'S CAPABLE,
BELIEVES IN A GOVERNMENT DOING THE JOB TO SERVE THE PEOPLE, AND
IS EMPATHETIC TO THE CONCERNS AND NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO
DIDN'T VOTE FOR HIM-- AND WE'LL GET TO EVENTUALLY. PART OF WHAT I THINK IS
EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO GO THROUGH IS YOU KNOW
THAT JOE BIDEN ACTUALLY DOES CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T
VOTE FOR HIM. >> YEAH. >> Stephen: AND WHY THEY
DIDN'T AND WHAT THEY THINK. HOW DOES HE REACH THOSE PEOPLE? >> WELL, LOOK, I THINK HE'S IN A
GOOD POSITION TO MAKE THE EFFORT. THE FACT THAT HE WON IS
INDICATIVE OF THE MESSAGE HE SENT OF WANTING TO UNIFY THE
COUNTRY. I DO THINK PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED
BY JUST THIS KNOW--, YOU KNOW, WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION
CONSTANT CAGE MATCH. AND PEOPLE JUST WANT TO FEEL AS
IF A DAY PASSES WITHOUT IT BEING DOMINATED BY SOMETHING CRAZY
COMING OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE. >> Stephen: THAT PHOTO
OPPORTUNITY AFTER Y'ALL HAD HAD YOUR CONVERSATION IN THE OVAL
OFFICE-- AND I DON'T WANT TO SPEN A LOT OF TIME. I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT A LOT FOR FOUR YEARS, AND I'VE HAD MY FILL. BUT THAT I WAS A CHILLING MOMENT
FOR ME TO WATCH BECAUSE I PERCEIVED FOR THAT MOMENT THE
DIGNITY OF THE OFFICE, OR RATHER THE TRAPPINGS OF DIGNITY AND
STATUS THAT FALLS UPON-- RIGHTLY FALLS UPON THE PERSON WHO HOLDS
THAT OFFICE IN THAT MOMENT. AND I SAW THE WAY-- OR RATHER I
HAD AN EMOTIONAL FLASH OF ALL THE WAYS THAT COULD BE ABUSED
OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. WERE YOU HAVING A SIMILAR
FEELING IN THAT MOMENT? >> YEAH, IT WAS A CONCERN. >> Stephen: AND WERE THOSE
CONCERNS BORNE OUT OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS? >> EXCEEDED. >> Stephen: THANK YOU. MR. PRESIDENT, WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK, BUT STICK AROUND EVERYBODY, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK
WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
