If there’s one type of Republican CBS’s Stephen Colbert can tolerate, it is one that thinks Donald Trump poses a threat to all things good and decent, but unlike Adam Kinzinger comparing Mike Johnson to the Taliban, Liz Cheney was not thrilled with Colbert blaming GOP media criticism or Ronald Reagan’s saying that government is the problem for the rise of Trump on Monday's installment of The Late Show.
After Cheney pushed back on Colbert’s suggestion that people supported Trump because of his alleged racism by citing left-wing anti-Semitism, Colbert tried to defend himself, “I would agree that anti-Semitism is the disease that runs across all cultural boundaries, not only in the United States but across the world. What I mean by say, by undermining the media is undercutting, sort of, like, roughing up the referee was a project of the right for the last 20 years.”
The media are active participants, not referees and even the book touring Cheney had to object, “Yeah, I don’t agree with you on that.”
Continuing, Colbert proclaimed “-- or undermining public institutions. You say that people believe that our public institutions can take the punishment that Trump will give them and that's why he's not as dangerous as he should be. But the Republican Party’s mantra has been, the government is the problem for so many years."
Believing Cheney insisted that, “it's really important in my view that we not sort of slide into saying everything the Republicans have ever done, you know, is somehow the same what Donald Trump is doing.”
Not budging, Colbert added, “I'm not saying everything; I’m saying those are breadcrumbs.” Feeling that they reached a dead end, Cheney declared, “Yeah, but I think you and I are just not going to agree on that.”
Nevertheless, Colbert persisted, “I know we're not going to agree. But do you understand why I'm asking that question?” Cheney acknowledged she did, “Yes. But I think you should let me answer it,” and proceeded to go back to the mutual Trump bashing.
Here is a transcript for the December 11-taped show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
12/12/2023
12:26 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: I would agree that anti-Semitism is the disease that runs across all cultural boundaries, not only in the United States, but across the world.
LIZ CHENEY: Right.
COLBERT: What I mean by say, by undermining the media is—
CHENEY: No, I’m—
COLBERT: -- undercutting, sort of, like, roughing up the referee was a project of the right for the last 20 years—
CHENEY: Yeah, I don’t agree with you on that.
COLBERT: -- or undermining public institutions. You say that people believe that our public institutions can take the punishment that Trump will give them and that's why he's not as dangerous as he should be. But the Republican Party’s mantra has been, the government is the problem for so many years.
CHENEY: Yeah, but see, this is, it's really important in my view that we not sort of slide into saying everything the Republicans have ever done, you know, is somehow the same as what Donald Trump is doing.
COLBERT: I'm not saying everything; I’m saying those are breadcrumbs.
CHENEY: Yeah, but I think you and I are just not going to agree on that. I mean, I think it’s--
COLBERT: I know we're not going to agree. But do you understand why I'm asking that question?
CHENEY: Yes. But I think you should let me answer it.
