Obama appears in Halloween-themed episode of Full Frontal dressed as ‘what happens when young people vote’ and makes pitch for Hillary Clinton

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

In a special Halloween-themed edition of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Barack Obama told a “spooky story” about what happens when people don’t vote: “Donald Trump could be president.”

Dressed as “what happens when young people vote”, Obama said he did the interview on her TBS show to encourage young people to vote.

Barack and Michelle Obama make Halloween a thriller for DC kids Read more

Bee was skeptical.

“It turns out that young people actually are more interested and engaged than I think we give them credit for,” Obama said, adding that his daughter Malia just voted for the first time this year.

“The pride that she took, I think, in casting her ballot, is a pride that I think a lot of young people feel, but you’ve got to talk to them about the things that they care about,” he said.

Bee, impersonating a millennial with vocal fry and uptalk, challenged the president to convince her to vote.

“I would hope that you’d be willing to take about the same amount of time that you spend just looking through cat videos on your phone to make sure that the democracy’s working,” Obama said.

Bee peppered Obama with pressing questions about his legacy, his gray hair and what Hillary Clinton’s “birther” conspiracy theory equivalent might be during the show’s annual (and also first) Halloween interview with a sitting president.

“Is that like white spray paint or fun Halloween cobwebs up there?” she asked, drawing a stern look from the president.

“Sam, I’m still president for about three months,” he said.

“If and when Hillary is president,” Bee asked later, “what do you think will be the female equivalent of: ‘You weren’t born in this country?’”

“That’s an interesting question,” Obama said. Bee takes the compliment and says she has many more interesting questions.

“I think the equivalent will be: ‘She’s tired, she’s moody, she’s being emotional,’” Obama said.

“There’s just something about her?” Bee offered.

“There’s something about her,” he agreed. “When men are ambitious, it’s just taken for granted; well of course they should be ambitious,” he said. “When women are ambitious – why? That theme, I think, will continue throughout her presidency and it’s contributed to this notion that somehow she is hiding something.”