Obama Talks Democratic Party Unity on ‘Tonight Show'

"Thank you to my 2008 slogan, 'Yes We Can' or, as I like to call you, 'Yes We Did'."

President Barack Obama talked about his hope that Democrats will come together over the next couple of weeks to unify the party, during his first appearance as president on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Thursday.

During the interview, which was taped on Wednesday, Obama said that sometimes "what happens during primaries is you get a little ouchy" as he spoke about the state of the election.

"It was a healthy thing for the Democratic party to have a contested primary," Obama said a day after Hillary Clinton became the first woman to become the presumptive nominee of a major political party.

Host Jimmy Fallon and Mark Ruffalo take turns drawing questions from the best friends box and guessing each other’s answers.

"I thought that Bernie Sanders brought enormous energy and new ideas and he pushed the party and challenged them," Obama said. "I thought it made Hillary a better candidate. I think she is whip smart. She is tough. And she deeply cares about working people and putting kids through school and making sure we're growing our economy."

Obama, who has endorsed Clinton, met with Sanders at the White House on Thursday.

Asked whether he thought Sanders would endorse Clinton, Obama said he was sure the former secretary of state and the Vermont senator are "going to have a conversation."

He told Fallon that his main role as president "is to remind the American people that this is a serious job. This is not reality TV."

Asked whether he thought Republicans were happy with selecting Donald Trump, Obama replied, "We are."

Obama took some time to write thank you notes, a reoccuring performance that Fallon usually does.

"Thank you to my 2008 slogan, 'Yes We Can' or, as I like to call you, 'Yes We Did'."

Picking up the pen to write a second note, "Thank you Questlove's hairstylist for helping me bring back the Obama 'fro after I leave the White House." 

Looking back at his two terms, Obama wrote, "Thank you congress for spending eight years for wishing you could replace me with a Republican or, to put it another way, how do you like me now?"

Madonna also appeared on Thursday night's broadcast, performing "Borderline." 

"Where else besides 'The Tonight Show' and New York City can you have the President and the Queen on one show?" Jimmy Fallon had teased in a statement.

The Queen of Pop published a photo on Instagram of the president and first lady donning T-shirts emblazoned with her face. She captioned the post: "Aww...You guys are so sweet. See you soon xoxo!" [[382239081, C]]

Fallon has interviewed Obama before, hosting the president during a special "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" broadcast from the campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The "Preezy of the United Steezy" slow-jammed the news with Fallon and The Roots in the skit. [[382240251, C]]

Obama is no stranger to late-night television, having appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "The Late Show With David Letterman," "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" in his seven years in office.

The commander-in-chief also appeared six times on "The Tonight Show" when Jay Leno hosted the NBC show. His appearance on March 19, 2009, marked the first time a sitting president appeared on a late-night talk show. 

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