NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- President Obama mixed policy discussion with personal reflections on his daughters and , yes , a few jokes in an appearance on CBS ' `` Late Show With David Letterman . '' President Obama jokes with David Letterman in New York in an interview taped Monday afternoon . It was the first time a sitting president has been a guest on the popular late-night entertainment show , according to the CBS Web site . It was taped Monday afternoon . After taking the stage to a huge ovation , Obama teased Letterman about being surprised to see the event on his daily schedule , saying : `` That 's one of those where you ask your advisers , 'Who 's responsible for this ? ' `` Later , when talking about summer activities of daughters Malia , 11 , and Sasha , 8 , Obama said that they `` goofed off , '' which he added was something he could n't do . Letterman quickly quipped : `` Well , others have , '' prompting a big laugh from both the audience and the president . On topical issues , Obama promised to ask `` tough questions '' before deciding whether to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan , saying it was necessary to have a clear strategy in place before deploying resources . Watch Obama talk with Letterman » . He said his `` No . 1 job '' is to make sure the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 , 2001 , attacks can never harm the United States again . Asked about the economy , Obama called the $ 787 billion economic stimulus package passed in his first month in office a `` tourniquet '' that prevented the recession from getting worse . Complete economic recovery will take time , he warned , but added that the situation appeared to be getting better . On the hostile debate over his push to overhaul the nation 's health care system , Obama disagreed with the analysis by some that the public anger against him is fueled by racism . He drew a big laugh by pointing out he was black before he became president , then noted that his election by the American public `` tells you ... a lot about where the country is at . '' `` I think that what 's happened is that whenever a president tries to bring about significant changes , particularly during times of economic unease , then there is a certain segment of the population that gets very riled up , '' Obama said . Previous presidents including Franklin Roosevelt , John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan also generated emotional opposition , Obama said . `` This is not untypical , '' he said . `` One of the things you sign up for in politics is , folks yell at you . ''
President Malia 's visit first time a sitting president has been `` Late Show With David Letterman guest . Obama says he 'll ask `` tough questions '' before sending more troops to Obama . President says he does n't think racism fuels opposition to health care overhaul . What did daughters Obama and Sasha do this summer ? They `` goofed off , '' he says .