BARACK OBAMA, WHO'S JOINING US FROM THE ELLEN BLUE ROOM

AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

[cheers and applause]

MR. PRESIDENT, IT HAS BEEN AWHILE SINCE WE'VE SPOKEN.

YOU LOOK GREAT. HOW ARE YOU?

- I AM DOING GREAT. YOU LOOK WONDERFUL ALSO.

- WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING THAT.

YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO JUST BECAUSE I SAID YOU LOOK GOOD,

BUT THAT WAS NICE OF YOU.

- IT IS TRUE.

- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS,

BUT I WAS AIMING TO BREAK YOUR RECORD OF RETWEETS,

AND I APOLOGIZE FOR DOING IT,

BUT I BROKE YOUR RETWEET RECORD.

[cheers and applause]

- I HEARD ABOUT THAT.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A PRETTY CHEAP STUNT MYSELF,

GETTING A BUNCH OF CELEBRITIES IN THE BACKGROUND.

- THAT'S THE ONLY THING--

- YOU FEEDING THEM PIZZA. - YEAH.

SO THE FIRST LADY'S IN CHINA.

HOW IS SHE DOING?

- YOU KNOW, SHE HASN'T LANDED YET,

BUT THE HOUSE IS ABANDONED.

I'M STUCK WITH TWO DOGS,

AND...

I'M EXPECTED TO WALK THEM

AND DO WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU WALK DOGS.

BUT I THINK THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME, THOUGH.

THEY HAVEN'T BEEN TO CHINA BEFORE,

AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE--

THEY'VE ACTUALLY MET WITH STUDENTS

HERE IN THE UNITED STATES WHO'VE MADE THESE TRIPS BEFORE

AND HELPED BRIEF THEM IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY SHOULD SEE,

AND IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL EXCHANGE,

AND HOPEFULLY BECAUSE OF THIS TRIP,

THEY MAY BE ABLE TO INVITE SOME CHINESE STUDENTS

BACK TO THE UNITED STATES AS WELL.

- THAT'S AMAZING.

YOUR DAUGHTERS-- HOW ARE THEY DOING?

I MEAN, THEY'RE GROWING UP SO FAST,

EVERY TIME I SEE A PICTURE OF THEM,

AND FIRST OF ALL ANSWER THAT QUESTION, PLEASE,

AND THEN I HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE TATTOO THING

THAT YOU TOLD THEM.

- WELL, THEY ARE DOING WONDERFULLY.

YOU KNOW, MALIA, SHE TURNS 16 THIS SUMMER,

WHICH IS A LITTLE SCARY.

- WOW. - AND SASHA'S GONNA BE 13.

AND THEY'RE DOING GREAT IN SCHOOL,

AND THEY'RE SMART, AND THEY'RE FUNNY,

AND THEY'RE KIND,

AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ATHLETIC,

AND SO I REALLY HAVE NO COMPLAINTS,

EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT INCREASINGLY

THEY DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TIME FOR ME.

YOU KNOW, I AM JUST--

I AM NOT THAT INTERESTING.

THEY'RE NICE ABOUT IT, THOUGH, BECAUSE THEY STILL LOVE ME,

SO THEY'LL COME IN AND THEY'LL PAT ME ON THE HEAD AND KISS ME,

AND THEY'LL SAY, "OH, DADDY, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH,"

AND THEY'LL TALK TO ME FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES,

AND THEN THEY'LL SAY, "WE'RE GONNA BE GONE ALL WEEKEND."

- THEY'RE VERY BUSY.

- SO THAT'S MAKING ME A LITTLE SAD.

- WELL, AND I BET.

LET ME MENTION THIS.

I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE HEARD THIS,

BUT YOU MADE THE MOST AMAZING COMMENT

ABOUT IF THEY WOULD EVER GET A TATTOO,

AND I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD STICK TO THIS RULE.

IF YOUR DAUGHTERS GOT TATTOOS,

THAT YOU AND MICHELLE WOULD ALSO GET THE SAME TATTOO

IN THE SAME PLACE AND YOU'D ALL TAKE A FAMILY PHOTO

OF ALL THE TATTOOS.

- THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

[cheers and applause]

WE WILL REDUCE THE COOL FACTOR OF ANY TATTOO.

MICHELLE AND I WILL BE RIGHT THERE,

AND WE'LL POST IT

SO THAT EVERYBODY WILL BE ABLE TO SEE IT,

AND WE'LL SAY, "WE ALL GOT MATCHING TATTOOS."

AND I SUSPECT THAT WILL BE A PRETTY GOOD DETERRENT

FOR BOTH MALIA AND SASHA.

- I HATE TO SAY, BUT I HOPE THEY GET TATTOOS.

I REALLY DO.

- ELLEN, YOU SHOULD BE A PART OF THIS.

YOU SHOULD PLEDGE TO ALSO GET A TATTOO WITH US.

- YEAH, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?

IF THAT HAPPENS, I WILL,

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I'M NOT INTO TATTOOS.

I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT.

LET'S ALSO TALK ABOUT-- YOU WENT SHOPPING.

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN DO THIS,

BUT YOU WENT TO A MALL AND YOU SHOPPED AT A GAP RECENTLY,

BECAUSE YOU WERE PHOTOGRAPHED SO I KNOW IT'S TRUE.

- IT HAPPENED. - IT HAPPENED.

YOU WENT TO THE GAP, AND YOU WENT SHOPPING.

HOW DO YOU HAVE TIME--

- WELL, HERE-- HERE'S THE THING.

WE WERE ON A TRIP TO NEW YORK,

AND THE GAP ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE GONNA MAKE SURE

THAT ALL THEIR EMPLOYEES AT LEAST GOT PAID $10 AN HOUR,

SO THEY'RE INCREASING THEIR WAGES

FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

AND SINCE WE'VE BEEN SAYING THAT AMERICA DESERVES A RAISE,

AND WE SHOULD PROVIDE A MINIMUM WAGE OF AT LEAST $10.10 AN HOUR,

I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT FOR ME

TO BE ABLE TO GO FREQUENT A STORE

THAT'S DOING RIGHT BY THEIR EMPLOYEES.

- GOOD FOR YOU.

- I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

[cheers and applause]

- GOOD FOR YOU. THAT'S FANTASTIC.

THEY SOLD A LOT OF THOSE SWEATERS THAT YOU BOUGHT.

I UNDERSTAND THOSE SWEATERS THAT YOU BOUGHT SOLD OUT,

BECAUSE EVERYBODY WANTED TO WEAR THE SAME SWEATERS

THAT YOUR DAUGHTERS ARE WEARING.

- WELL, I THOUGHT THEY WERE PRETTY NICE SWEATERS,

AND MALIA AND SASHA, THEY DID NOT SCOWL

WHEN I BROUGHT THEM IN, WHICH WAS A GOOD SIGN.

I MEAN, THEY DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY SAY, "EWW, THAT'S TERRIBLE."

- WELL, YOU HAVE A FAMILY OF GOOD TASTE.

- I HAVE NOT YET SEEN THEM WEAR THEM,

BUT I'M HOPING THAT I MAKE THE CUT.

- WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM WEAR THEM ALSO.