Just weeks after expressing his regret that he did not “help” Hillary Clinton win by having her on his show ahead of the 2016 presidential election, radio host Howard Stern has once again tried to get into the media’s good graces by trashing Donald Trump. During an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday night, Stern did not hesitate to criticize the President, suggesting he needs to “go Into psychotherapy.”
A portion of the interview aired on Monday’s edition of New Day. The clip began with Stern talking about how therapy saved his life. As the topic of “trauma” came up, Cooper did not hesitate to bring President Trump into the conversation, noting “You talk about trauma and you’ve talked about it in your relationship to President Trump.”
At this point, Stern began to psychoanalyze President Trump by describing the President’s relationship with his father as “traumatic.” Stern told Cooper “I can assure you he’s been traumatized because…his level of narcissism is so strong and he has trouble with empathy,” adding “I wish he’d go into psychotherapy. I’d be so proud of him if he did and he would flourish.”
After Stern’s psychoanalysis concluded, Cooper attempted to get Stern to trash President Trump again by asking “are you worried about the country?” Stern answered in the affirmative, trashing the President’s immigration policies by using the standard left-wing talking points about the Statue of Liberty and how his grandparents would likely have not been admitted under merit-based immigration. Stern tried to make the case that he was “not some ultra-liberal,” mentioning that he voted for Republicans including former New York Governor George Pataki and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The clip concluded with Stern complaining about “the idea that we’re even discussing Roe v. Wade.” Stern asked “do we need more unwanted children on this planet?” He complained that “these same people who are screaming about abortions and they shouldn’t be allowed, I don’t see them adopting anyone necessarily.” Stern expressed his concern about “a more harsh ruling” from the Supreme Court, warning “we both remember the days of women with coat hangers and going in back alleys.”
For the record, Cooper probably does not remember “the days of women with coat hangers and going in back alleys,” as he was five when Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide. Upon the conclusion of the clip, co-host Alisyn Camerota referenced a portion of the interview where Stern expressed his nostalgia for the time when “there used to be a civility between Democrats and Republicans.” Camerota found it quite ironic that “the most potty-mouthed, obscene…(and) lewd person” would call for civility.
A transcript of the relevant portion of Cooper’s interview with Stern is below. Click “expand” to read more.
New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman
05/27/19
07:52 AM
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Howard Stern has known Donald Trump for decades. He calls Mr. Trump one of the top five guests to ever appear on his radio show. He also believes Donald Trump was traumatized as a child and that he would benefit greatly from therapy. Here’s more of Anderson Cooper’s interview with Howard Stern.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER: You talked about therapy and a lot of people do not talk about therapy and you…
HOWARD STERN: Right.
COOPER: …have been very upfront…you didn’t just do therapy, you did…
STERN: Psychotherapy.
COOPER: …psychoanalysis.
STERN: Yes.
COOPER: Did therapy, did it save your life?
STERN: It did…it really did. It…it wasn’t as if I was suicidal or something along those lines, but when I say it saved my life, it made me recognize all the good things that I have. And it also taught me how to be a man, how to relate to my children, how to be more involved in a conversation with you. How to be appreciative of you for giving me that interview.
COOPER: You had said that you were a selfish jerk, I think it was.
STERN: Selfish jerk.
COOPER: Yeah, sorry.
STERN: But…but I was also naive. It wasn’t like I was intentionally going out to be a jerk. I don’t think people, you know, would say I was a jerky guy. But what it was is I had no notion of the world around me and I think a lot of my self-protection was closing down my emotion and that kept me very well-protected as a child. And the only way you can grow out of that…
COOPER: Which is…is trauma. I mean, that’s…
STERN: Trauma.
COOPER: …that’s the reaction to trauma is closing yourself down.
STERN: Yes, and I was one of the most closed down people.
COOPER: You talk about trauma and you’ve talked about it in your relationship to President Trump.
STERN: Yeah.
COOPER: That Donald Trump is a person who experienced a lot of trauma early on.
STERN: Yeah. From what I know of Donald and his relationship with his father, it sounds traumatic. It sounds like the father was very domineering, the father expected a lot of him, and the father…I don’t know. There was military school. You know, you…you read this drips and drabs and you go, wow. I can assure you he’s been traumatized because, you know, Donald, you know, his level of narcissism is so strong and he has trouble with empathy…we know that…and I wish he’d go into psychotherapy. I’d be so proud of him if he did and he would flourish.
COOPER: He probably…he…but he never has…I mean, he never would.
STERN: There’s no way…I do not believe he’s ever done psychotherapy because, because he’s demonstrating a lot of the…a lot of the behaviors that I, I recognize.
COOPER: Do you think he’s the same person that you interviewed now?
STERN: Yeah, I do. I, I think he’s the same exact person. I think the only way you really change is through analysis. So, yeah, I think he’s the same guy.
COOPER: Are you worried about the country?
STERN: Oh, yeah, of course. Listen, I have three daughters. I…I am worried about the country. I, this notion, particularly about immigration…I’m a guy who, you know, both…both sets of grandparents came over and they were fleeing horrible situations. They…if they had had to take a test, one of my grandfathers never learned how to speak English. He couldn’t master the language. He came here too late in life. This is the greatest country in the world. I thank God for this country and the opportunity…listen, where else could I have had my kind of career?
COOPER: So there would be no Howard Stern if there had been a…
STERN: There would be no Howard Stern.
COOPER …a test for your grandparents?
STERN: And the point is, with our country…you know, that Statue of Liberty, I took that for real. You know, give us your tired, your poor. We’re not going to get the intelligentsia, necessarily. We are a country of immigrants…poor immigrants who came over here and got a chance. And to…you know, to cavalierly say, you know, we’re closing those doors down and we’re going to give you a test, and if you pass that test then maybe we’ll let you in. Boy, that’s a…that’s a pretty heavy statement. And I know…listen, not everyone’s been lucky economically and it’s easy to blame a poor immigrant coming over, you know, but that’s what they did when my grandparents came over. It’s the same old, same old, you know? And, you know, I certainly…
COOPER: It’s what was done with Catholics and Jews. Everybody…
STERN: It went on with everybody. Italians came over…
COOPER: At one time or another.
STERN: …they were the enemy. The Chinese came over, they were the enemy. You know, we got a lot of stuff that went on in our country. And, and I hate when people start talking about how, you know, black people… poor blacks do not deserve some kind of shot through equal opportunity or something like that. Well, how many whiteys are sitting there and getting a shot at college or getting a shot at a better education because they have so much more and there hasn’t been this inherent racism? There seems like sometimes we have to right the wrongs. And I’m not…I’m not some ultraliberal. I’m really not. I’ve voted for Republicans, I’ve voted for…
COOPER: Pataki.
STERN: Yeah, I voted for Pataki. I voted for Giuliani. I voted…you know, I’ve voted for Republicans and…and are friends with many Republicans. But there used to be a civility between Democrats and Republicans and it, it seems like it’s all-out war now, and I don’t know what’s going on right now.
COOPER: Do you think that’s just the President or more than…it’s more than that?
STERN: Well, I…you can’t just blame Donald Trump, but there’s a, there’s a lot of seething anger. You know, and I’m concerned about the Supreme Court…the idea that we’re even discussing Roe v. Wade. You know, I would say to people listen, you don’t want to have abortions. My wife is against abortion but she’s not against your right to get one. She wouldn’t have an abortion but she wouldn’t close down that opportunity for anyone else. The people who are alive now, we’ve got to worry about. Do we need more unwanted children on this planet? And these same people who are screaming about abortions and they shouldn’t be allowed, I don’t see them adopting anyone necessarily. I don’t know how they’re going to take care of these unwanted children in these horrible situations, and mothers who commit suicide because they, they, they weren’t ready to have a kid. You know, stop and take a breath. And to see a more harsh ruling come out on the Supreme Court, it would be a disaster. We both remember the days of women with coat hangers and…and going in back alleys. That stuff’s not made up. And who was getting abortions during those days? The rich. So, you know, this would only affect the poor. And so, you know, look, there’s got to be some compassion here. I also don’t like our foreign policy and where it’s going. You know, Iran is a dangerous situation. North Korea’s a dangerous situation. I see this pulling away from our allies and NATO…it’s all very disturbing to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: There you go. I mean, we were just saying…
JOHN AVLON: It’s just fascinating.
CAMEROTA: …Howard Stern calling for civility. I mean, the most potty-mouthed, obscene, you know, lewd person. But I think always…well, I don’t know. I haven’t listened to all of his radio shows but compassion…I mean, I don’t know if he was ever mean…a mean-spirited shock jock or just an obscene shock jock.
AVLON: Well, he’s certainly obscene. I think what’s fascinating in his talk with Anderson, he has made sort of a leap to deeper empathy. But to hear him talking about how concerned he is about U.S. and NATO and Roe v. Wade and being a voice talking about…harking back to a bygone era of civility…Howard Stern folks? You’ll remember we’re in the Twilight Zone. That’s a good way to do it.
CAMEROTA: I just like the lack of pretense that he has always had.
AVLON: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: There’s just no pretense. Be sure to watch…
AVLON: Right.
CAMEROTA: …Anderson’s entire interview with Howard Stern tonight at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
