Jeb Bush On Fallon: The Predecessors
When most people think of politicians campaigning for the highest office in the land on late-night talkshows, the first image that comes to mind is probably Bill Clinton’s iconic visit to Arsenio Hall. He played the sax with the house band, while wearing a pair of Blues Brothers sunglasses and although it’s never been proven that his visit paved the way to the White House, it sure didn’t hurt. It was just announced that Jeb Bush will appear on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on 16 June, a day after the dynastic political heir and former Florida governor is likely to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the presidential election. Based on the history of such appearances, it could go very well – or very, very poorly. While Clinton is what springs to most people’s minds, the first two candidates to appear on late-night talkshows were John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, who both appeared on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show in 1960. Clinton wasn’t even the first to play an instrument. Nixon appeared on the show again in 1963 and played the piano with the band. No sunglasses though.
