Jimmy Kimmel Had Some Advice for Biden: Yell

There weren't a lot of laughs, but President Biden got some unsolicited advice from Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday when the president sat down for his first in-person interview with a late-night host since taking office, the AP reports. The host of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! expressed frustration about the intractable problems in Washington, and advised the president, “I think you need to start yelling at people." Biden demurred, saying the country is still suffering from the effects of the pandemic, but he insisted he’s “never been more optimistic in my life.” Kimmel swiftly interjected: “Why are you so optimistic? It makes no sense!” Biden said he was pinning his hopes on young people, the “best educated, least prejudiced, most giving generation in American history.” “This generation is going to change everything,” Biden said. “We just have to make sure we don’t give up.”

The show was taped in the afternoon in Los Angeles. Biden is visiting the city for this week’s Summit of the Americas, which brings together countries from across the hemisphere. First lady Jill Biden was in the audience, along with Biden’s granddaughter Naomi and her fiancé. Biden's only previous late-night appearance as president was in December, when he spoke remotely with Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s The Tonight Show. Kimmel began his interview by asking about gun control, referencing a string of recent mass shootings and pressing Biden on whether he could use executive orders to increase gun control, noting that former President Trump “passed them out like Halloween candy.” Although Biden has taken some unilateral steps on firearms, the president said he wasn't interested in stepping beyond the limits of his authority. (More on the sit-down here.)