Barack Obama and Jay Leno Talk Broccoli, Russia, Trayvon Martin on 'The Tonight Show' VIDEO
On Tuesday night, America's 44th President stopped by Jay Leno's The Tonight Show to discuss Russia, Trayvon Martin, and broccoli.
Barack Obama sat down with the NBC late night host to examine a few issues that have been prominent in the news recently. Russia proved to be high on the list considering recent events regarding Edward Snowden's asylum and the Russian treatment of homosexuals.
"When it comes to universal rights, when it comes to people's basic freedoms, that whether you are discriminating on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, you are violating the basic morality that I think should transcend every country," Obama said regarding the foreign power's recent laws regarding gay rights activism. "I have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgendered persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them."
The fate of the President's September journey to Russia has been clouded by the country's decision to grant temporary asylum to Edward Snowden after he leaked National Security Agency documents to the public. However, Obama believes that issues with Russia, particularly their treatment of the homosexual community, will probably not damage the Olympics since Moscow has a vested interest in seeing that the 2014 event goes off without issue.
"I think Putin and Russia have a big stake in making sure the Olympics work and I think they understand that for most of the countries that participate in the Olympics, we wouldn't tolerate gays and lesbians being treated differently," Obama stated.
Although Obama previously gave a speech regarding the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, the President reiterated his claim that America's justice system should work without prejudice.
"What all of us agreed to is that we should have a criminal justice system that's fair, that's just," the 52-year-old stated. "Everyone should be treated fairly and the system should work for everyone."
However, the interview was not without humor. Obama discussed the topics of his growing working friendship with both former presidential candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Most importantly, the President stood by a previous statement extolling his favorite vegetable.
"Me and broccoli, I don't know, we've got a thing going," the father of two said.
Parents across the country now have a new excuse to use when cajoling their children into eating their tree-like veggies.
Watch Obama's entire interview with Leno here.
