As The Late Show nears its final-ever episode, Stephen Colbert welcomed former President Barack Obama on Tuesday’s (May 5) show to discuss everything from the current political climate to aliens.
In the interview, taped at the Obama President Center in Chicago, Illinois, Colbert told Obama, “I’m looking for a new gig soon, and a lot of people tell me I should run for president.” The series’ finale of The Late Show is set to air on Thursday, May 21, at 11:35/10:35c on CBS.
“Well, you certainly have the look. You have the hair,” Obama quipped.
Colbert noted that he thinks the idea is “stupid,” adding, “How dumb do you think it is for people to say I should run for president?”
The former president didn’t think the idea was that outrageous, though, replying, “The bar has changed. Put it this way: I think you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen. I have great confidence in that.”
Colbert went on to ask what powers a president shouldn’t have. Obama gave an answer that seemed pointedly directed at Donald Trump, though he didn’t mention the president by name.
“We can survive a lot… We can’t overcome the politicization of the criminal justice system. The awesome power of the state,” Obama stated. “You can’t have a situation in which whoever is in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies or reward their friends.”
He continued, “The second thing is our military. Don’t politicize our military.” Obama said he believes the country will have its work cut out for it to “return to this basic norm” and will “probably now have to codify it.”
Colbert also asked about the existence of aliens after Obama told podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen earlier this year that “[aliens] are real, but I haven’t seen them.”
Obama cleared things up, explaining, “For those of you who still think that we’ve got little green men underground somewhere, one of the things you learn as president is the government is terrible at keeping secrets.”
He added, “This idea of conspiracy theories, if there were aliens or alien spaceships or anything under the control of the United States government… I promise you, some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend to impress her. There would be leaks.”
However, Obama did state that he hopes aliens are real and even offered himself to be the first contact. “I think I would be a good emissary for the planet,” he said.
Before the interview concluded, Obama thanked Colbert for all his work over the years. “Thank you for everything that you have done. I know we’ve only got a few shows left, but I know you’re gonna make them count, because you always have,” he told the late-night host.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS
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