CBS’s Stephen Colbert welcomed Sen. Bernie Sanders to The Late Present for the nineteenth and hopefully last time on Tuesday for an obnoxiously lengthy, four-segment softball interview overlaying all the things from Colbert’s employer to Venezuela to Minnesota to socialism.
Early on, Colbert put the ball on the tee, “So long as I’ve obtained you right here, so long as I’ve obtained you right here, I believe all of us understandably say what an authoritarian society is. It is an abuse of authority, actually, for individuals’s personal private achieve. Once we say oligarchic society, once we say oligarchy, simply outline for everyone what you imply by that.”
Sanders declared, “Okay. They go collectively, truly. An oligarchy is a nation the place a small variety of extremely rich individuals management the economic system, management media, and we’ve got some expertise with that proper right here on CBS. They usually management the political system.”
After his traditional rantings in opposition to wealthy individuals, Sanders returned to the media, “So, you add possession of media, which is changing into an increasing number of concentrated. Proper-wing individuals shopping for media, proudly owning social media. Mr. Musk owns X. Zuckerberg owns… Meta. Proper. Ellison now owns Paramount and CBS. You add all these issues up, what you find yourself with a extremely small variety of individuals with unimaginable wealth and unimaginable energy.”
Later, Colbert shifted the dialog to Venezuela, “You had been speaking about Venezuela just a little bit earlier. Clearly this curiosity in Greenland comes on the heels of getting gone into Venezuela and snatching Maduro. Who’s in cost now, as far as ? Is that Delcy Rodriguez, or is it some form of shadowy group of individuals in the US as a result of we do not get a transparent reply when reporters ask direct questions.”
After Sanders guessed the latter, Colbert continued, “Does that imply individuals like—is it JD Vance? Is it Marco Rubio? Is it the top of Chevron? Who’s it?”
Sanders then made an obscene analogy when he in contrast capturing Maduro to Putin invading Ukraine:
Properly, I imply, definitely the oil firms, a few of them no less than, are excited in regards to the alternative to get pleasure from rampant imperialism. And what bothered me most about what Trump did, isn’t solely that it was unlawful and unconstitutional. If you happen to, below—for no pretext can invade and assault one other nation, the US can now not say to some other nation on Earth which you can’t try this. Alright. All of us, many people have condemned Putin’s horrific invasion of Ukraine and the a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals which can be struggling there. It was a barbaric act. How do you criticize Putin? How do you criticize anyone who says, ‘We’ve our causes, and we will assault one other nation, and the US cannot say a phrase about it as a result of that is what you probably did’?
Maduro was a dictator who was below federal indictment for drug trafficking. Putin invaded Ukraine as a result of he thinks Ukraine’s independence was a mistake, and the invasion reveals that Sanders’s insistence on norms in opposition to aggression isn’t adequate to discourage individuals like Putin.
Nonetheless, the weird analogies had been simply starting. Additional alongside, Colbert turned to Minnesota, “The Pentagon is placing 1,500 troops on standby for a possible deployment to Minnesota after an ICE agent killed unarmed, non-violent mom of three, Renee Good. You’ve stated her demise reminds you of January sixth. What do you imply by that?”
Sanders huffed, “On this sense, to begin with, what ICE is doing below Trump, below Trump, that is Trump’s directive, they’re — have invaded the town of Minneapolis. Their aim is to intimidate each individual on this nation, that for those who rise up, you might be in hassle as a result of the army is coming.”
He additionally wailed, “And now you will have a lady, mom of three, sitting in an car, shot within the head by an ICE agent, and the Trump individuals label her a home terrorist. So, it’s the Huge Lie that we hear again and again which is a part of what authoritarianism… look, in a democracy, we will have variations of opinion. what? That is a very good factor. However these variations have gotten to be primarily based on a basis of fact. And never fixed lies. And that’s what the Trump individuals do.”
It’s ironic that Sanders was lamenting the state of CBS earlier within the interview, regardless of it being the worst of the three main networks of their Minnesota protection. Sanders and Colbert ought to in all probability chorus from accusing different individuals of spreading lies about Minnesota, given their reluctance to simply accept sure details about Good and her spouse’s actions earlier than she was shot.
Lastly, Colbert gushed, “This can be a red-letter day for you. Right here you might be administering the oath of workplace to Mayor Mamdani and I simply—you’ve been preventing, you’ve got been carrying the banner of democratic socialists for a very long time. What was that wish to swear within the first democratic socialist mayor of a serious metropolis?”
After Sanders claimed, “It was enormously gratifying,” Colbert added, “In a latest ballot, a latest Gallup ballot, 66 % of Democrats had a good view of democratic socialism. Up considerably over the past yr. Why do you assume that’s?”
Sanders didn’t truly reply the query and as an alternative centered on praising Mamdani, “When he began marketing campaign, it is not solely that he is actually clearly good, extremely energetic, actually good with individuals, actually good politician.”
As Colbert interjected so as to add “cute,” Sanders rolled on, “Cute, alright, effectively. He began at one % within the polls. One %. He was taking up the Democratic institution, Republican institution, president of the US, and all of the oligarchs ready to spend zillions of {dollars} to beat him. He took all of them on and he gained.”
Maybe if Colbert didn’t flip The Late Present right into a progressive discuss present, he wouldn’t be shedding CBS as a lot cash as he’s. And if that had been so, then maybe CBS wouldn’t have canceled him.
Here’s a transcript for the January 20 present:
CBS The Late Present with Stephen Colbert
1/20/2026
11:57 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: So long as I’ve obtained you right here, so long as I’ve obtained you right here, I believe all of us understandably say what an authoritarian society is. It is an abuse of authority, actually, for individuals’s personal private achieve. Once we say oligarchic society, once we say oligarchy, simply outline for everyone what you imply by that.
BERNIE SANDERS: Okay. They go collectively, truly. An oligarchy is a nation the place a small variety of extremely rich individuals management the economic system, management media, and we’ve got some expertise with that proper right here on CBS. They usually management the political system. So, you add all of it collectively, in the present day we’ve got extra earnings and wealth inequality than we have ever had within the historical past of America.
So, you’ve got obtained the highest one % proudly owning extra wealth than the underside 93 %. One man, Mr. Musk, one man, proudly owning extra wealth than the underside 52 % of American households.
Alright, after which you will have a political system, alright. These guys not solely need to management the economic system. They need to management the political system. So, you will have a corrupt political system because of this disastrous Residents United Supreme Courtroom resolution. In order that billionaires like Mr. Musk can spend $270 million to elect Trump. There are Democratic billionaires additionally placing cash into the political course of. And extraordinary individuals, they are saying “I’ve obtained one vote. I can spend thousands and thousands of {dollars} to elect a candidate.”
So, you add possession of media, which is changing into an increasing number of concentrated. Proper-wing individuals shopping for media, proudly owning social media. Mr. Musk owns X. Zuckerberg owns—
COLBERT: Fb and Instagram.
SANDERS: Proper. Meta. Proper. Ellison now owns Paramount and CBS. You add all these issues up, what you find yourself with a extremely small variety of individuals with unimaginable wealth and unimaginable energy. Stephen, that’s what oligarchy is about.
COLBERT: And that goes along with authoritarianism because the chocolate and peanut butter of horrible concepts.
…
COLBERT: You had been speaking about Venezuela just a little bit earlier. Clearly this curiosity in Greenland comes on the heels of getting gone into Venezuela and snatching Maduro. Who’s in cost now, as far as ? Is that Delcy Rodriguez, or is it some form of shadowy group of individuals in the US as a result of we do not get a transparent reply when reporters ask direct questions.
SANDERS: Most likely a shadowy group of individuals in the US.
COLBERT: Does that imply individuals like—is it JD Vance? Is it Marco Rubio? Is it the top of Chevron? Who’s it?
SANDERS: Properly, I imply, definitely the oil firms, a few of them no less than, are excited in regards to the alternative to get pleasure from rampant imperialism. And what bothered me most about what Trump did, isn’t solely that it was unlawful and unconstitutional. If you happen to, below — for no pretext can invade and assault one other nation, the US can now not say to some other nation on Earth which you can’t try this. Alright. All of us, many people have condemned Putin’s horrific invasion of Ukraine and the a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals which can be struggling there. It was a barbaric act. How do you criticize Putin? How do you criticize anyone who says, ‘We’ve our causes, and we will assault one other nation, and the US cannot say a phrase about it as a result of that is what you probably did’?
So, it unleashes worldwide anarchy. Would possibly makes proper. You need to blow up a constructing? Hey, you are able to do that. That is what scares me about this.
…
COLBERT: The Pentagon is placing 1,500 troops on standby for a possible deployment to Minnesota after an ICE agent killed unarmed, non-violent mom of three, Renee Good. You’ve stated her demise reminds you of January sixth. What do you imply by that?
SANDERS: On this sense, to begin with, what ICE is doing below Trump, below Trump, that is Trump’s directive, they’re — have invaded the town of Minneapolis. Their aim is to intimidate each individual on this nation, that for those who rise up, you might be in hassle as a result of the army is coming. Alright? And I’ve obtained to let you know that is repellent to the overwhelming majority of the American individuals. Now by way of—authoritarianism additionally, it is all the issues I discussed however additionally it is propagating the Huge Lie, all proper? So, you say black and it is white. You say white and it is black. So, for January sixth, we had a radical group of insurrectionists making an attempt to destroy democracy and undermine a free election, that is what they did.
Trump turns round and says these had been peaceable demonstrators.
And now you will have a lady, mom of three, sitting in an car, shot within the head by an ICE agent, and the Trump individuals label her a home terrorist.
So, it’s the Huge Lie that we hear again and again which is a part of what authoritarianism, what I imagine, you imagine, assume the overwhelming majority of the American individuals imagine is, look, in a democracy, we will have variations of opinion. what? That is a very good factor. However these variations have gotten to be primarily based on a basis of fact. And never fixed lies. And that’s what the Trump individuals do.
…
COLBERT: Okay, this can be a red-letter day for you. Right here you might be administering the oath of workplace to Mayor Mamdani and I simply—you’ve been preventing, you’ve got been carrying the banner of democratic socialists for a very long time. What was that wish to swear within the first democratic socialist mayor of a serious metropolis?
SANDERS: It was enormously gratifying.
COLBERT: In a latest ballot, a latest Gallup ballot, 66 % of Democrats had a good view of democratic socialism. Up considerably over the past yr. Why do you assume that’s?
SANDERS: Properly, let me let you know I really like Mamdani. When he began marketing campaign, it is not solely that he is actually clearly good, extremely energetic, actually good with individuals, actually good politician—
COLBERT: Cute.
SANDERS: Cute, alright, effectively. He began at one % within the polls. One %. He was taking up the Democratic institution, Republican institution, president of the US, and all of the oligarchs ready to spend zillions of {dollars} to beat him. He took all of them on and he gained. And he gained, he gained not simply because he’s good, which he’s, however as a result of he had 90,000 volunteers in New York Metropolis knocking on doorways. So what excited me and I believe he will be a terrific mayor and I stay up for working with him. What excited me was a robust grassroots motion, took on the institution and gained. They did it in New York Metropolis. We are able to do it in each state on this nation.
