Stephen Colbert to Bernie Sanders: Is there a 'similarity' between you and Donald Trump?
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) sat down with "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night in advance of the sixth Democratic presidential debate Thursday.
The exchange started off with Sanders elaborating on why he believes he won such high support in the coveted 18- to 29-year-old category of voters in the New Hampshire primary (Sanders won 83% of them).
Sanders explained:
With all of this technology and productivity in our economy, how is it that young people are likely to have a lower standard of living than their parents, while almost all new income and wealth is going to the top 1%? They're not dumb, and they're saying, "Hey, we want a fair shake as well."
Colbert responded that Sanders' answer sounded like "class warfare."
He continued:
If you're saying that most of it's going to the top 1%, and they want fairness, how do you achieve that fairness?
Because the top 1% has a lot of influence with the government. They're not just going to give that up. They're going to fight you tooth-and-nail. And I'll tell you how I know that: I'm in the top 1%. Matter of fact, to hell with that, the top 1% parks my car. I'm way above them. Those guys, and girls, are going to fight you very hard.
Sanders answered by explaining that he thinks that we've reached a point in society where Americans are upset with the "status quo."
The conversation pivoted when Colbert asked if Sanders thought that there was a similarity between Sanders and and the winner of the New Hampshire Republican primary, Donald Trump.
Bill O'Reilly, who appeared on "The Late Show" Monday night, told Colbert that Sanders and Trump are "really the same guy," just with "different haircuts."
"There are people who are trying to choose between you and Trump." Colbert said to Sanders. "Why would that be? You don't seem like two sides of the same coin."
Sanders replied:
I think Donald Trump's supporters are angry. They're working for longer hours for lower wages. They're people who are really worried about what's going to happen to their kids. But I think what they have done is responded to Trump's false message, which suggests that if we keep Muslims out of this country, or we keep scapegoating Latinos or Mexicans, that somehow our country becomes better. I think that's a false solution.
Colbert concluded the interview by saying that they were going to commercial break to sell products for some "enormous corporations."
Watch the full interview here: