Barack Obama confirms 'a pretty sizeable percentage' of world leaders are 'out of their minds'

'The longer they stay in office, the more likely that is to happen'

Olivia Blair
Thursday 31 December 2015 10:25 GMT
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Obama laughed at hair nets members of the press had to wear during a tour of a factory in Ethiopia
Obama laughed at hair nets members of the press had to wear during a tour of a factory in Ethiopia (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty )

President Barack Obama has admitted that a “pretty sizeable percentage” of world leaders are “out of their minds”.

The President made the admission to Jerry Seinfeld for an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

In the begining of the clip, Seinfeld arrives at the White House and even helps himself to an apple from the Oval office, much to the President’s mock disapproval.

“I always wanted to be in a show about nothing and here I am,” Obama remarked to Seinfeld a they took a seat in the infamous presidential ‘beast’ vehicle.

Over coffee in a White House cafe, Seinfeld asks Mr Obama: “How many world leaders do you think are just completely out of their mind?”

“A pretty sizeable percentage,” Obama confirmed.

Seinfeld proceeded: “Some of these people, you must meet them, you must be chatting and you see it in their eyes… you go ‘oh, this guys gone’.”

Without naming names, the 54-year-old President proposed: “Part of what happens with these guys, is the longer they stay in office, the more likely that is to happen,” which Seinfeld appeared to agree with interjecting: “Of course, they lose it.”

Mr Obama elaborated: “At a certain point your feet hurt and you’re having trouble peeing, [but] you have absolute power.”

“Privelege is toxic”, Seinfeld suggested, to which Mr Obama agreed: “It really is.”

Another highlight of the 18-minute segment was Mr Obama admitting his most popular fanbase is usually children.

“I do really well with the 0-8 demographic, partly because my ears are big so I look a little like a cartoon character and then little kids like saying my name but it’s all one big name like ‘barackobama’.”

The clip ends with Mr Obama taking the 1963 Corvette for a spin around the White House grounds.

Mr Obama, who’s two-term presidency will finish in January, 2017 made another television appearance recently when he joined Bear Grylls for a hike in Alaska. There, he undertook a number of challenges such as sampling some salmon half-chewed by a bear but stopped short of drinking his own urine, saying “It’s not something I’d make a habit of.”

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