Watch CBS News

President Obama Gets Prodded (No Pokes!) On Live Facebook Townhall

PALO ALTO (AP)  — Making his case to a young audience at Facebook headquarters, President Barack Obama says trimming $4 trillion from the nation's deficits over the next 12 years sounds like a lot but can be done.

Obama was in Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday answering questions in person and online during a town hall at the home base of the popular social networking site.

Obama will hold another session Thursday in Reno, Nev. He's on a three-day Western tour with his message that his approach to cutting government deficits is more balanced and less painful than a rival House Republican plan.

The president has proposed cutting spending, raising taxes and squeezing federal health care programs. The Republican plan rules out tax cuts and would achieve nearly $6 trillion in savings from spending cuts and overhauling Medicare and Medicaid.

The president shared the stage with Facebook's youthful founder, Mark Zuckerberg, whose company noted that 19 million network users have electronically "liked" Obama's White House Facebook site.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.