President Obama to Appear on ABC's 'The View'

July 26, 2010 — -- President Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit a daytime TV talk show when he tapes an interview Wednesday with ABC's "The View."

Obama is appearing as part of the show's "Red, White & View" series, which has featured prominent American politicians and discussions on current political issues. Vice President Joe Biden made a guest appearance in April.

The president will take the hot seat among the show's five female hosts, who represent a range of backgrounds and political views, at a time when his administration grapples with challenges from the economy to the BP oil spill.

Obama's approval ratings have hit new lows, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. Nearly six in 10 Americans say they lack confidence in the president to make the right decisions for the country, and a majority doubt his handling of the economy.

Still, the administration has had some recent legislative victories, which Obama may discuss on the show, including passage of financial regulatory reform and a sweeping health care reform law.

Obama was previously a guest on "The View" in March 2008 as a Democratic presidential candidate. At the time, he faced questions about the swirling Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy.

"I didn't have a research team during the course of 20 years to go pull every sermon he's given and see if there's something offensive that he's said," Obama said of Wright.

He later disavowed his ties to the controversial reverend and effectively resigned from the church.

Walters to Return to 'View' for Obama Visit

During his 2008 appearance, then-candidate Obama also bantered playfully with his hosts.

When Joy Behar asked if he was related to actor Brad Pitt, Obama replied, "I guess we're ninth cousins, something, removed. ... I think he got the better-looking side of the gene pool."

He also famously stated that he could withstand Republican attacks during the campaign because "I'm skinny but I'm tough."

Obama first visited the show in November 2004 to promote his first book, "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

Barbara Walters, creator, executive producer and co-host of "The View," will return to the set for the president's appearance. She has been on medical leave after undergoing heart valve replacement surgery in May.

"We are so pleased and honored that President Obama will be a guest on 'The View,'" she said in a prepared statement.

First lady Michelle Obama was a featured guest co-host in June 2008.

"The View" has become a venue for politicians and candidates alike to face the music, with previous guests including former President Bill Clinton, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.