Watch President Obama and Jimmy Fallon write pointed thank you notes

Obama and Jimmy Fallon write thank you notes

(Image credit: The Tonight Show)

published 10 June 2016

"You're nearing the end of your second term, and you must have a lot to be thankful for yourself," Jimmy Fallon told President Obama on Thursday's Tonight Show. So he invited the commander in chief to write thank you notes. "That's a good use of my time," Obama said, agreeably. The president joined Fallon at the desk and wrote out his first one. "Thank you, my 2008 slogan, 'Yes We Can,'" Obama said, with the Roots providing a musical backdrop. "Or as I now like to call you, 'Yes We Did.'"

Then it was Fallon's turn. "Thank you, President Obama's birth certificate," Fallon wrote in his follow-up note. "He used to carry you around to prove he is American, now he needs to carry you around to prove he's only 54." Obama arched an eyebrow. "I'm not sure this was a good idea," he said later, after Fallon made a Hillary Clinton joke. "I should have done thank you notes on my own." Thankfully, he didn't, and you can watch the letter-writing below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.