Oprah's White House special: Winfrey's gift to Obama for Christmas is softball questions
Oprah Winfrey has given President Obama a much-needed Christmas present -- an hour-long, prime-time TV interview full of softball questions.
"This was not about grilling the President," Winfrey said of "Christmas at the White House," which will air Sunday night at 10 on ABC.
Winfrey says she has been pushing for an interview with the First Family since Obama's election -- but wanted to be sure the situation was "comfortable."
"I wanted to be at the White House during Christmastime and to experience their first Christmas at the White House," Winfrey explains in the special, excerpts from which were released yesterday. "This has been in the making for a very, very long time."
In the special, Winfrey tours the White House and takes in the grandeur of a Christmas at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., including the 27 Christmas trees adorning the President's home.
Winfrey also asks the Obamas to reflect on Christmases past.
Michelle Obama tells Winfrey her favorite gift as a child was "a metal doll house with plastic furniture" while the President says his was "Getting that first, big kid 10-speed bike."
President Obama also reminisced about a gift from the father he barely knew -- a basketball his father gave on a visit from Kenya.
"It wasn't until much later in life that I realized, 'Actually, he gave me that basketball,’ “ he says. "I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking up the sport as a kid who didn't know his dad."
After asking the President if he feels pressure to give better gifts now, he replies, "I have given some good gifts -- you get some nice stuff -- here's the general rule: I give nicer stuff than I get."
The interview wades briefly into his performance thus far as commander in chief.
"I was curious as to what he thought he had done, what kind of job he thought he had done and ask him for his grade,” Winfrey says. “You’ll see what the grade is. The grade might surprise you."
Coming on the heels of months of hand-wringing over the war in Afghanistan and the mortifying Salahi gate-crashing scandal, the lighthearted interview is likely a welcome respite for the residents of the White House.
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Sources: Harpo Productions, NY Daily News, ET Online, ABC, Google Maps
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