Surprise! Obama crashes White House briefing for college students

US President Barack Obama dropped in on a briefing for college journalists on Thursday at the White House. 

The first-ever event at the White House of its type, press secretary Josh Earnest was fielding questions from students when Obama waltzed in wearing a dark suit and purple striped tie, with a white cup for tea or coffee.

Obama did more than just stop by -- he took questions from the students crammed into the briefing room for more than half an hour. 

He fielded a wide range of questions from the students, who were attending the first White House College Reporter Day, on issues like immigration, the water crisis in Flint, Mich., Syrian refugees, civic engagement and his proudest achievements.

He promised one his first inquisitor, the editor-in-chief of the University of North Carolina’s Daily Tar Heel, a one-on-one interview after the young man creatively used his one shot at speaking to the president to get another.

“That’s a good use of your time, right there,” Obama said, “I am favourably disposed,” the president said, looking to his press secretary for reassurance. But he said, “It will not be a really long interview.”

Obama encouraged the students to reduce the level of cynicism in the country, particularly concerning government affairs.

“You, as journalists, are going to have a role to play in reducing cynicism,” he explained.

He urged student journalists to ask their editors to write stories about how government was working, instead of focusing on just the things that were going wrong.

At the end of the press conference, he said, ““All right, so I’m counting on you guys, don’t let me down. Don’t let the country down. You’re going to be delivering the message to your peer group.”