In a clip posted tonight Late show, host Stephen Colbert relentlessly questions former Trump national security adviser John Bolton about the president.
Bolton, of course, is promoting a book about his time in the west wing, and Colbert is pursuing him for his previous support of a man Bolton has called “unfit” to be president.
“What we think of him,” Bolton said of Trump, “is not going to be a Democrat under pressure, especially now, from the left.” I bought that argument in 2016. “
Colbert, exasperated, replied: “No, he will be subject to pressure from Vladimir Putin! And Xi Jinping! He is a person willing to sell the interest of the American people for his own reelection. “
“What could be worse,” continued Colbert, “in the philosophy of Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, than betraying a hostile foreign leader to your country?”
“Trust me, I understand that point,” Bolton replied.
“What I thought in 2016 was, ‘Well, at least we have to prove it.'”
“I guess what is maddening,” said Colbert, “is that there is absolutely nothing that Donald Trump has done that surprises me.” My rule is: whatever you think you have done is probably true. It is not deep enough to get your socks wet. So when he ran the casinos, the house was lost. There were notes to learn about him … How could you not know beforehand that he was so expressionless?
“Because I couldn’t believe it was that bad,” Bolton said.
See more of the exchange below.
