Former President Barack Obama stopped short of endorsing Stephen Colbert for president during a wide-ranging interview Tuesday night — but suggested the outgoing late-night host would outperform at least one commander in chief he could name.
The interview was filmed at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago and aired as the last installment of what has become a recurring pairing. It marked the former president’s sixth interview with the late-night host.
Mr. Colbert opened by floating his own hypothetical presidential campaign, telling Mr. Obama: “I’m looking for a new gig soon. And a lot of people tell me I should run for president.” Mr. Obama replied that Mr. Colbert has “the look” — and “the hair.” When Mr. Colbert pressed him and asked how foolish the idea really was, Mr. Obama offered a pointed non-answer. “Well, you know, the bar has changed,” Mr. Obama said. “I think you would perform significantly better than some folks we’ve seen.” When Mr. Colbert asked whether that constituted an endorsement, Mr. Obama answered firmly: “It was not.”
The exchange drew wide attention as a thinly veiled jab at President Trump, though Mr. Obama did not mention him by name. Mr. Obama also addressed executive power more directly during the interview.
“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the Attorney General to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants,” he said, as the audience applauded. He added that the president should not “politicize our military” and said he would like to see a norm established that “the President of the United States shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles.”
Mr. Obama also discussed the direction of the Democratic Party, telling Mr. Colbert he was less concerned about the so-called rift between its liberal and progressive wings than about whether Democrats could speak plainly to ordinary voters: “Can you talk plain English to folks?” He was also asked whether the government is concealing evidence of alien life, reiterating his view that any such secret would have leaked long ago.
The interview was taped ahead of the Obama Presidential Center’s scheduled public opening. The 19.3-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side is set to open June 19, 2026, and includes a museum, Chicago’s newest public library branch, an athletic facility, and outdoor spaces. General public museum tickets went on sale Wednesday.
The final episode of “The Late Show” is set to air May 21, ending the CBS late-night franchise launched by David Letterman more than three decades ago. CBS said last year it would end the show for financial reasons, though the decision came shortly after Mr. Colbert criticized Paramount — CBS News’ parent company — over its settlement of a lawsuit brought by Mr. Trump. After the show ends, Mr. Colbert has said he will help write a new Lord of the Rings screenplay produced by director Peter Jackson.
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