<p id="thickbox_headline">Joe Biden on Friday used his first late-night television talk show appearance as US president to highlight his infrastructure bill -- and laugh off his flagging approval ratings.</p>.<p>Biden's appearance on <em>NBC's </em><em>The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon</em> is the first by a sitting president since Barack Obama, and comes as the White House seeks to highlight the recently passed bill for upgrading the nation's tattered transport networks.</p>.<p>Despite its passage, Biden's approval ratings have sunk to the low 40 per cent area, in part due to the spike in inflation.</p>.<p>Asked by host Jimmy Fallon if he pays attention to approval ratings, Biden dead-panned: "Well, not anymore."</p>.<p>"I'm joking. I was paying attention when it was in the mid-60s, but when it's in the mid-40s I don't pay attention," said the president, to laughter from the studio audience.</p>.<p>Biden's appearance by remote video comes after his predecessor President Donald Trump declined invitations for any late-night talk shows as president.</p>.<p>Obama frequently used programs hosted by Fallon and rivals such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert to speak to the wider US public.</p>.<p>Fallon opened the show by joking the pair would "discuss the economy, the infrastructure bill, and break down the first two episodes of the <em>Sex and the City</em> reboot."</p>.<p>Fallon managed one barb about inflation figures, claiming he had earlier asked the president how excited he was to appear on the show on a scale of one to ten.</p>.<p>"He said ten. But six without inflation."</p>.<p>But during the interview, Fallon allowed Biden to set out policies including his landmark $1.8 trillion Build Back Better plan to improve social services and fight climate change, which faces a tough road in Congress.</p>.<p>Wearing a suit and tie, and seated in front of a festively decorated mantlepiece, Biden also urged Americans to get booster shots and highlighted steady declines in the unemployment rate.</p>.<p>"We do have inflation on things that in fact matter in people's lives" such as gas prices, said Biden.</p>.<p>"It's going to come down," he promised.</p>.<p>The interview -- in which Fallon praised Biden for "bringing class back to the office" of the president and asked "does anyone really understand how hard your job is?" -- ended with the talk host being invited over to the White House for dinner.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos:</strong></p>
<p id="thickbox_headline">Joe Biden on Friday used his first late-night television talk show appearance as US president to highlight his infrastructure bill -- and laugh off his flagging approval ratings.</p>.<p>Biden's appearance on <em>NBC's </em><em>The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon</em> is the first by a sitting president since Barack Obama, and comes as the White House seeks to highlight the recently passed bill for upgrading the nation's tattered transport networks.</p>.<p>Despite its passage, Biden's approval ratings have sunk to the low 40 per cent area, in part due to the spike in inflation.</p>.<p>Asked by host Jimmy Fallon if he pays attention to approval ratings, Biden dead-panned: "Well, not anymore."</p>.<p>"I'm joking. I was paying attention when it was in the mid-60s, but when it's in the mid-40s I don't pay attention," said the president, to laughter from the studio audience.</p>.<p>Biden's appearance by remote video comes after his predecessor President Donald Trump declined invitations for any late-night talk shows as president.</p>.<p>Obama frequently used programs hosted by Fallon and rivals such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert to speak to the wider US public.</p>.<p>Fallon opened the show by joking the pair would "discuss the economy, the infrastructure bill, and break down the first two episodes of the <em>Sex and the City</em> reboot."</p>.<p>Fallon managed one barb about inflation figures, claiming he had earlier asked the president how excited he was to appear on the show on a scale of one to ten.</p>.<p>"He said ten. But six without inflation."</p>.<p>But during the interview, Fallon allowed Biden to set out policies including his landmark $1.8 trillion Build Back Better plan to improve social services and fight climate change, which faces a tough road in Congress.</p>.<p>Wearing a suit and tie, and seated in front of a festively decorated mantlepiece, Biden also urged Americans to get booster shots and highlighted steady declines in the unemployment rate.</p>.<p>"We do have inflation on things that in fact matter in people's lives" such as gas prices, said Biden.</p>.<p>"It's going to come down," he promised.</p>.<p>The interview -- in which Fallon praised Biden for "bringing class back to the office" of the president and asked "does anyone really understand how hard your job is?" -- ended with the talk host being invited over to the White House for dinner.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos:</strong></p>