Politics
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Donald Trump with Stephen Colbert.
In an interview on "The Late Show" on Tuesday, host Stephen Colbert played a game with Trump. The late-night host asked Trump to distinguish between Trump's own statements and statements that Colbert's conservative alter-ego said on "The Colbert Report."
"For years I played an over-the-top conservative character - not as long as you did," Colbert quipped.
"I was looking back over some of the things you said over the years, and sometimes I couldn't figure out whether I said them or you said them. So I'd like to know if you can help me figure this out."
The real-estate mogul managed to identify all of his own quotes, occasionally by process of elimination.
Colbert read a tweet that Trump posted complaining about the cold weather and declaring that "we need global warming."
"I think it's you, but it's close to being me," Trump said, grinning.
Trump easily pointed out which quotes were Colbert's, at one point even pointing at Colbert before he finished reading his quote.
"You know you pretty well," Colbert said.
"I know," Trump responded.
In other parts of the interview, Colbert prodded Trump on policy. He served up to Trump what he called a "meatball" in an attempt to clarify whether he still thought President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. And he asked Trump to explain his proposal to force the Mexican government to pay for a border wall between the US and Mexico.
The new "Late Show" host appears to be embodying the less politically charged role of a traditional late-night host rather than that of his confrontational alter-ego, who was once so feared by politicians that then-Democratic Caucus Chair Rahm Emanuel advised his caucus not to sit down for interviews on Colbert's show.
Colbert did, however, ask Trump if he'd like to apologize to anyone who he has offended.
"No," Trump said, before thinking a moment. "Maybe the audience."