F.Five years ago, Joe Biden Stephen Colbert did a solid credit by appearing as a guest on the first week of his new one Late show– just a few months after the death of his son Beau – and exposing his soul to the host over his painful decision to ultimately forgo a run-up to that cycle’s president.
Now that he is officially president-elect, Biden returned to The late show on Thursday evening with his wife, Jill Biden, for their first joint interview since the election. Or rather, Colbert came to them and traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, for an appropriately distant face-to-face interview with the incoming first couple.
After opening with a Colbert report-style throwback “Better Know a Delaware” segment, the host began his interview with the president-elect with a lay-up, “What’s going to put President Biden in the world?”
Faced with a “divided nation and a world in disarray,” Biden said he intends to announce that “America is back” in terms of diplomacy and make this country more “united” as opposed to the “filthy and vicious and personal and mean “politics. of the Trump era.
When asked if he takes it “personally” that so many Republicans have yet to acknowledge his election victory, Biden said he understands they are in a “difficult place.” Speaking specifically of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), he added, “Lindsey was a personal disappointment as I was a personal friend of his,” before insisting that he will be willing to work on the Republican legislature as soon as Trump finally leaves office next month. .
Biden even gave President Trump some sort of olive branch, saying, “What he’s done to get the vaccine moving has been positive.” However, he then quickly added, “Overall, he has been a president who has decided that the way he succeeds is to divide us.”
In other areas, such as the COVID-19 crisis, Colbert forced his guest to explain how he wants to achieve his stated goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days and what he plans to do to hold Russia accountable for the attack on the US elections. .
When Jill Biden joined the next segment, Colbert brought up the bizarre controversy surrounding her PhD, which emerged from the Wall Street Journal op-ed page for Fox News primetime lineup this week.
“That was such a surprise!” she said, explaining that it was “really the tone of it” that caught her off guard. “One of the things I am most proud of is my PhD. I mean I worked so hard for it. When Colbert suggested she take it as a compliment that all people can think of to criticize her, the ‘Dr.’ in front of her name she smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll take it up like that.”
Later, the host also asked the president-elect how he is dealing with the attacks on his son, Hunter Biden, which have barely slowed down since the campaign ended and will inevitably remain a ‘club’ against him once he is president.
“We have a lot of faith in our son,” said Joe Biden. “I am not concerned about the charges brought against him.” He called the attacks’ foul play ‘but added,’ It is what it is. And he is a grown man. He is the smartest man I know in terms of pure intellectual ability. And as long as he’s good, we’re good. “
“As a father I understand and admire that,” said Colbert. “But I mean, in terms of your job as president, can you reach down the aisle for people who will use this as an attack on you if it’s such a personal attack because it’s about family?”
Biden said that “if it benefits the country,” he will do what he has to do, adding, “I really mean it.”
When Colbert agreed, “You’re a better man than me, I’m not sure I could do that,” said Biden, “Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean I’m not mad, does it. say I wasn’t mad and not that if I was back in high school, I wouldn’t say ‘come here’ and go for a spin. ”
“But you have to take the main road,” Jill Biden added.
“The American people, I think they can smell the foniness, smell what’s true and what’s not,” added Joe Biden optimistically. He explained that he actually “feels bad” for the Republicans who attacked him about his son as a way of showing allegiance to Trump.
As Jill Biden emphasized, “People we thought were our friends.”