Colbert On Trump: The President Lives 'In A Fantasy' That He Wants Everyone Else To Believe Is Real
Stephen Colbert, the talk show host of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" on CBS, recently spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper to discuss myriad topics, ranging from the comedian's views on grief as well as his political views.
Photo by Lars Niki/Getty Images for 2019 Montclair Film Festival
On the topic of President Donald Trump — an individual who frequently receives the ire of Colbert's jokes on his program — Cooper asked Colbert to elaborate on comments he's made in the past about the president, particularly some in which he called Trump a "heretic to reality."
Colbert explained that the comment from his past was based in part from his religious upbringing.
"As a raised Catholic, the greatest sin is actually heresy, because not only are you astray from the right path, you're inviting, you're encouraging other people to come with you on that path," he explained.
Trump was doing as much, not in a religious sense, but in a way that led people astray from facts and logic-based decision making, Colbert explained. What's worse, Trump was engaging in such practices for his own betterment, not necessarily with the nation's interests at heart.
"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert discussed President Trump in an interview with Anderson Cooper. "Our president wants to live in a fantasy world where only the way he perceives the world is the way it is, only the things that sort of serve his vision, and he's also trying to convince us that that is the only world that exists…"
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"He, our president, wants to live in a fantasy where only the way he perceives the world is the way it is, and only things that sort of serve his vision. And he's also trying to convince us that is the only world that exists. It's extremely solipsistic, but he's also trying to invite us into this madness that he has," Colbert said.
The "Late Show" host went on. "That is heresy against reality, that is proselytizing for the most selfish and the basest instincts that the American people, like all people, have," Colbert said. "But he's not appealing to the better angels of our nature."
The late-night television host's views are backed in solid evidence suggesting that the president isn't always honest with the American people. The Washington Post reported that, as of August 5, the 928th day he's been president, Trump has made 12,019 false or misleading claims to his constituents.
That amounts to about 13 lies per day, the publication noted. However, it's been getting progressively worse. From April of this year to the present, Trump has lied or misled the public about 20 times per day.