President Obama addressed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s controversial 47 percent comments in an interview with Late Show host David Letterman on Tuesday.
Romney made national headlines after a video from a private campaign party was released where he said 47 percent of Americans are dependent on government, pay no income taxes and “will vote for the president no matter what.”
President Obama responded to his remarks by saying one of the things he learned as President is that you have to represent the entire county. “If you want to be President and you want to bring people together, I think that’s the attitude that you’ve got to have,” he said.
“When I won in 2008, 47 percent of the American people voted for John McCain. They didn’t vote for me,” said the commander-in-chief. “What I said on election night was, ‘Even though you didn’t vote for me, I hear your voices, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to be your President.'”
According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, President Obama has reached a 50 percent job approval rating among likely voters. This is the highest his approval rating has been since March and he is currently leading Romney 50 to 45 percent.
The poll, which was conducted before Romney’s controversial video was released, also reveals that Obama is leading in Virginia, Ohio and Florida polls. Victories in these key states are essential for Romney to win the election.
Be sure to check out the full video of President Obama’s interview with David Letterman above.