Stephen Colbert calls Biden a great POTUS, but won't say if he should run
By Matt Moore
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert returned from a two-week hiatus on Monday night, finally giving us Stephen Colbert's reaction to the debate. And while the late-night host approves of Joe Biden's record in office, he stopped short of endorsing the president's 2024 run.
Biden's disastrous performance in the debate against Donald Trump accelerated criticism of the president's age. Several pundits, donors, and lawmakers called for Biden to drop out and let Vice President Kamala Harris top the ticket.
Biden's poor debate came at a bad time for late-night TV. Shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert were already on vacation and thus couldn't comment in the immediate aftermath.
Colbert finally had his chance on Monday night. However, he declined to publicly endorse Joe Biden as the 2024 nominee, nor did he argue that the president should stay in the race.
The comedian responded "ditto" to a highlight package praising Biden as a great successful president. "So should he stay, should he go? Who am I to recommend? I don't know what's going on in Joe Biden's mind ... something I apparently have in common with Joe Biden," Colbert teased.
Stephen Colbert didn't let Biden off the hook for his debate disaster
Stephen Colbert reiterated that he thinks Joe Biden is a great president. The line earned a round of applause from the Late Show studio audience on Monday night.
However, the comedian's monologue didn't let President Biden off the hook for faceplanting during the debate. Colbert reminded everyone that Biden called for the debate and had a very low bar to clear.
"Biden's shakiness allowed Trump to get away with 90 minutes of lies, racism, and weird golf brags," Colbert said. Colbert also wasn't buying the excuse Biden had a cold, arguing that a cold doesn't make your mind "explode."
It was disappointing that Stephen Colbert didn't have a definitive stance one way or the other on Joe Biden's future. Given Colbert's willingness to share strong opinions on the other candidate, there was some expectation that he'd do the same for Biden.
However, Colbert perhaps knew the fallout of publicly calling for Biden to step aside. The comedian would then become part of the story and risk alienating some viewers. If he truly felt the opposite, there would be less criticism in backing Biden, especially as more lawmakers do the same.
Colbert's monologues between now and November should turn up the heat on Biden a little more. Just don't expect The Late Show to forget about the other guy, either.