Stephen Colbert might not agree with Donald Trump’s ideas about where the country should go, but the Late Show host does have some respect for the real estate mogul.
In an interview for CBS News’ Face The Nation, Colbert told John Dickerson that he can respect The Donald for his ability to reach voters and stay in the race. Even while the Republican establishment wants him to go away, Trump has stayed in it as long as he has the support of voters.
“I may disagree with anything that he's saying and think that his proposals are a little...well, more than a little shocking,” Colbert said. “But there is something really hopeful about the fact that, well, 36 percent of the likely voters want him so the people in the machine don't get to say otherwise. That's the one saving grace, I think, of his candidacy.”
Colbert said that he believed that Trump had no chance of staying in the race this long, and insisted that he doesn’t know anything about politics. When Dickerson told colbert that he still has a “sense” of where the county is, Colbert explained that this was why he stepped away from The Colbert Report.
“I think people don't really want constant divisiveness. I really don't think they want that. And that's what I was aping,” Colbert explained. “And I thought, 'Ah, I can't really drink that cup anymore. Cause I don't think people really want to hear it.'”
Colbert’s interview with Dickerson airs on Sunday.
Trump visited the Late Show in September.