U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders offered a stark—but ultimately hopeful—take on President Trump’s agenda and America’s future during an extended Tuesday-night appearance on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Sanders’ 19th visit to The Late Show coincided with the first anniversary of Trump’s second presidential term, so there was much to discuss across a total of four interview segments.
The well-spoken, highly candid senator had Colbert’s audience rapt throughout.
“We are living in an unprecedented, extremely dangerous moment in American history,” he acknowledged up front. “[But] what I believe from the bottom of my heart… whether people are Democrats, progressives, independents, conservatives… [is they] do not want to live under an authoritarian society. All of our people, not just the billionaires, should be doing well.”
Coming off of that, Colbert asked Sanders to detail the difference between and authoritarian society and an oligarchy—two terms that have been used to characterize the world Trump and his policies is building.
“An oligarchy is a nation where a small number of incredibly wealthy people control the economy, control the media—we have some experience with that right here on CBS—and they control the political system,” Sanders said, alluding to the Ellisons who run Paramount and steered The Late Show toward cancellation after Colbert called the company’s $16 million settlement with Trump a “big fat bribe” on-air.
But regardless of oligarchy or authoritarianism, “We ain’t gonna let it happen,” Sanders insisted, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience.
Other observations made by Sanders:
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: “The idea that you would have the president of the United States say to Norway, ‘You didn’t give me the Nobel prize, so I have to invade Greenland,’ is pathetic. It’s a four-year-old, spoiled brat. ‘I’m going to yell and scream because I didn’t get my extra cup of ice cream.'”
CAN TRUMP’S PURSUIT OF GREENLAND BE STOPPED?: “There are a few things,” including the War Powers Act, at Congress’ disposal to keep the U.S. from seizing Greenland, Sanders said. Plus, he noted, with the Greenland issue polling so poorly and midterms on the horizon, “some of my Republican colleagues are understanding that this is very, very crazy and not something that can be supported.”
VENEZUELA: “What bothered me most about what Trump did [is that] if you, for no pretext, can invade and attack another country, the United States can no longer say to any other country on Earth, ‘You can’t do that.’ How do you criticize a Putin, how do you criticize anybody who says, ‘We have our reasons and we’re going to attack another country’?”
STEPHEN MILLER’S ‘MIGHT MAKES RIGHT’ ATTITUDE: “That’s horrible. It really is. It’s really a dissent into barbarism, that I can do anything I want, I can kill anybody, I can steal anybody, I can invade any country I want because I am powerful.”
RENEE GOOD’S MURDER REMINDED HIM OF JANUARY 6: “Authoritarianism is all of the things I mentioned but it is also propagating the big lie. You say black and it’s white, you say white and it’s black. For January 6th, we had a radical group of insurrectionist trying to … undermine a free election, and Trump turns around and says these were ‘peaceful demonstrators.’ And now you have a mother of three shot in the head by an ICE agent and the Trump people label her a ‘domestic terrorist.'”
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT RULING BY FORCE: “Overwhelmingly the Democrats understand, and there are more and more Republicans who understand as well–not only because they see the blatant unconstitutionality of what is going on–that the American people are sick and tired of that.”
In closing, Colbert noted that Sanders was coming off a recent “red letter day” in which he swore in New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“He won not just because he is good, which he is, but because he had 90,000 volunteers knocking on doors,” Sanders emphasized. “What excited me was a strong grassroots movement took on the establishment and won. They did it in New York City, we can do it in every state in this country.”
You played a big role in putting Drumpf in the White House, because your withered misogynistic ass couldn’t stand the thought of a woman president in the White House! So you ratfucked Hillary and the Democratic Party by not stepping down, when it was obvious from the get go you had no hope in hell of being the presidential nominee of a party you’re not a part of, and continued attacking her and the party, all the way to the convention! Your BernieBums were the reason Drumpf won in the swing states, and you don’t fucking care about that, do you?
Of course not! Because you are Drumpf! A lazy narcissistic useless destructive shithole so fucking full of yourself that would rather destroy things because nobody wants anything to do with your useless self! Just like your kindred spirit, Drumpf!
Bernie the Bum deserves to be destroyed, not honored or praised for a job horribly done!
There are more heinous, malignant officials worse than Sen Sanders to blame and spend energy on
Why you wasting your typing on this, Victor?
Also, it’s 2026, not 2016; touch grass please
Bernie the Fucking Bum was a major reason why Hillary and the Democrats lost in 2016! And he’s done BUM FUCK ALL to make things better, since! Instead, he goes around the country telling people why Democrats are no better than Republicans, and he tells his BernieBums that only he can solve the problems facing the country! All while doing nothing about solving the problems the country is facing!
Bernie the Bum is the textbook example of a politician that needs to get the fuck out of Congress, NOW!!!
“Senator” Sanders is a fraud. What he “speaks” is Fiction. Remember, Mr. Trump won the Presidency with 77 Million Votes AND ALL Swing States….on ELECTION Day! Fuch him.
And so’s your Dear Toddler Drumpf, bitch! In fact, they’re both two sides of the same Russian ruble!