Announcer stephen welcomes joy reid and yahya abdulmateen, ii, featuring jon batiste and stay homin now live on tape from the ed sullivan theaters Office Building in new york city, its Stephen Colbert stephen hey, everybody welcome to a late show im your host Stephen Colbert. Let me just key up here. Mmm oooh, tepid i thought that was going to be hotter than it was. Hello. So nice to see you. Speaking of hot have you lost weight . You look amazing. We havent been together for a week, and ive missed so much has happened. So much has happened today. So much has happened in the last few hours. Honest to god, you guys back me up, im not entirely sure what were going to read even though weve read all of it because we had to change the order of everything minutes ago. The president ial election is only 15 days away. I cant wait for this to just be over. Its like an upcoming surgery, in that im planning on being anesthetized for the event. You know who could use some painkillers . Donald trump. Because his poll numbers are starting to look pretty bleak. knocking knock on wood. Salt the wood. Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice. So, in the runup to the election, trump is planning to hold two to three events per day. Brilliant. Be on tv everyday to remind americans why they cant stand looking at you. At a rally in georgia on friday, trump openly mused about losing could you imagine if i lose . My whole life, what am i going to do . Im going to say i lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics. Im not going to feel so good. Maybe i will have to leave the country. Stephen ill help you pack. I hear Equatorial Guinea has a beautiful no extradition treaty this time of year. One of trumps biggest problems is that suburban women in battleground states cant stand him. To which trump responded, you can and you will. The women who they say dont like me, they actually do like me a lot. Stephen no surprise. Trumps got a long history of ignoring women saying im not into you. And he aint too proud to beg, sweet darlin. Suburban women, please vote for me. Suburban women, will you please like me . Stephen as pathetic as that was, after the rally, trump went door to door. Trump is so desperate to attract the ladies, he broke out his irresistible dance move move your feet at all jimmy, put him back up there he makes the inflatable tubeman look like fred astaire. Ive seen more rhythmic movement from a potato rolling around in the trunk of my car. How do you mess up dancing to y. M. C. A. . It comes with instructions look, i dont want to beat a dead horse, but ive seen a dead horse with better moves. They say how you dance indicates how you make love. Apparently, he does not make love from the waist down. For him, its just a lot of fistpumping and pointing. Trump is also being hurt by his total shanking of the pandemic, and things are getting worse. On friday, for the First Time Since july, the country reported over 70,000 coronavirus cases and one expert predicts that the next 612 weeks are going to be the darkest of the entire pandemic. In other words the worst. Is yet to come stephen today, trump stopped by arizona for another superspreader rally. And he insisted that this whole pandemic thing is just a passing fad. Your state is doing great with the pandemic. Pandemic. They are getting tired of the pandemic, arent they . You turn on cnn. Thats all they cover. Covid, covid, pandemic, covid covid, covid ugh. You know what . They are trying to talk everybody out of voting. People arent buying it, cnn, you dumb bastards. Theyre not buying it. cheering stephen mb bastards. Leave eric and don, jr. Out of this. Trump spoke about his covid recovery. Its great. Its great. But i took it and it was incredible. Incredible. I felt like superman the next morning. I woke up, and i was like aaarghh, let me at em stephen ah, yes. Exactly like superman. Its a bird its a plane its a crazy guy jacked up on steroids truth, justice and the american blaargh let me at em now its tepid and salty. laughter trump keeps insisting covid is nothing to worry about its ending anyway. I mean, they go crazy when i say it. Its going to peter out, and its going to end. Were rounding the turn. Were rounding the corner. The light at the end of the tunnel is near. Stephen nothing says youre out of danger like, go toward the light. as trump were going to put all the covid into a bucket and then were going to kick the bucket. All the way to that farm upstate, where were all going to live, were gonna be alive as doornails. Trump said whether youre naughty or nice, bidens coming for your stocking with care. If he gets in carson city will be a ghost town. And the Christmas Season will be cancelled. Stephen yes, if joe is elected, there will be no christmas on january 20. And forget about fourth of july in february then he came up with this weird attack. You know, biden wants to lock it down. He wants to listen to dr. Fauci. He wants to listen to dr. Fauci. Stephen dr. Fauci is the most trusted person on coronavirus in the united states. I dont think thats the attack you think it is. And im being told theres already a new ad you know, biden wants to lock it down. He wants to listen to dr. Fauci. Im joe biden and i approve this message. Stephen last night, the same dr. Fauci was on 60 minutes, and he was frank about trumps efforts to keep him from speaking to the public. During this pandemic, has the white house been controlling when you can speak with the media . You know, i think youd have to be honest and say yes. I certainly have not been allowed to go on many, many, many shows that have asked for me. Stephen thats right many, many shows. Thanks to trump, we never got to see fauci on floor is lava. Fauci was also concerned about the president personally. Were you surprised when President Trump got sick . Absolutely not. I was worried that he was going to get sick when i saw him in a completely precarious situation of crowded, no separation between people, and almost nobody wearing a mask. When i saw that on tv, i said, oh, my goodness. Nothing good can come out of that, thats got to be a problem. Stephen so, fauci influences trumps covid policy the same way we do by staring in horror at the tv and saying, thats got to be a problem. Today, with infections spiking across the country, trump hit back at fauci on a Campaign Staff phone call with reporters saying, people are tired of hearing fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong. Yeah, remember the guy who said it would go away in april . According to polls, people are really tired of that idiot. Trump wasnt the only republican acting like an idiot at a rally this weekend. There was also, georgia senator david perdue, seen here explaining how he likes his pumpkins to have some junk in the trunk. Senator perdue was the opening act for trumps rally in macon, georgia, on friday. And he had this to say about democratic Vice President ial candidate kamala harris. Kamal or kamala or kamala, or kamalamalamala, i dont know. Whatever stephen okay, not a hard name to pronounce. Its kamala harris. Get it right next time, senator david pubedew. I mean, pukedude. I mean, puredoodoo . Senator pervdookie immediately came under fire for being racist, because yeah. So his campaign released a statement trying to backtrack, saying he simply mispronounced senator harris name, and didnt mean anything by it. Which is pretty hard to believe, since hes worked with harris in the senate since 2017. In his defense, he never actually heard her name pronounced because hes spent the past four years with his head firmly lodged in the president s keister. Bidens also on the campaign trail, but instead of talking to people in a trumpstyle super spreader moshpit, hes hosting drive in rallies where people just come to the rally in their cars. We have footage of one couple who really enjoyed bidens speech ooh, looks like somebody voted early. Folks, as my college used to say in college, its go time this is the most important election in our lifetime cars honking going to make all the difference stephen looks like somebody voted early. When he answered, biden got a warm welcome honking hello, North Carolina thank you, thank you, thank you i tell you what, its great to be here. Michael, you know, uh stephen as biden whoa, jack, thats some loud honkin better put on my sunglasses. Nope, these are for the eyes. I need the one for the ears. Come on somebody invent earviators come on, jack. Biden isnt just relying solely on inperson appearances, because this weekend, the Campaign Announced that joe biden has his own island on the video game animal crossing where you can learn about his campaign. Awesome, because thats why people play video games to not escape from reality. Thats why the most Popular Video game right now is call of civic duty. This is perfect. I cant remember a time where pandering to voters using a Popular Video game didnt work i dont know who created pokemon go, but id try to figure out how we get them to have pokemon go to the polls stephen still hurts four years later. According to campaign officials, trump has no plans to launch a similar effort on animal crossing. Clearly, if trump were to insert himself to a video game, it would obviously be just dance. Things look so bad for trump that some republicans are beginning to edge away. One republican beginning to sprout a tiny set of testicles is texas senator and understudy for the blue man group, john cornyn. Cornyn gave an interview where he assured voters that at times he has disagreed with President Trump on issues such as budget deficits and Border Security but kept his opposition private. Sure, just like how there are times i dont say that john cornyn is a lying coward, but i keep it private. And cornyn kept his opposition to trump really private, because he has voted with the president 95. 1 of the time. You can read about it in his new book, profiles in 4. 9 courage. Its not just republicans who might be secretly relieved if trump goes down, its also his own intelligence community. Today, we heard a story dating back to 2017, when he was at his new Jersey Golf Club receiving a highly classified briefing on afghanistan, and suddenly craved a malted milkshake. Does anyone want a malt . He asked the Senior Defense and intelligence officials, as he beckoned a waiter into the room where codeword classified intelligence was being discussed. as trump dont worry, this guy will have no idea what were talking about. Ill have the talibanana shake, and mix in some seal team snickers. Apparently, the malt episode became legendary inside the c. I. A. Didnt help when he ordered gitmo to start hot fudgeboarding. Trump has been hostile to the u. S. Intelligence community from day one. He rarely reads his president ial daily briefing, while biden was rarely seen without a copy of the briefing under his arm. Thats why one d. H. S. Official who worked under trump told reporters, bidens demeanor in and of itself is like the healing balm we all need. as biden its not just balm, jack. I got salves, creams, ointments, liniments, unguents, poultices you got a crick in your knee . Doctor joe will hook you right up im icy and im hot come on tyintiger balm weve got a great show for you tonight. My guests are joy reid and yahya yahya abdulmateen, ii. Announcer a late show with Stephen Colbert, sponsored announcer a late show with Stephen Colbert, sponsored by aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. Boy weared by nature and science. For everyon descovy for prep has not been studied in people assigned female at birth. Stephen hey, everybody welcome back say hi to jon batiste. Jon hey stephen i like that bumper we just saw. It was like h herb albert and te tijuana brass. Jon i cant wait to get on the road again. Lets get up and out of here. Stephen were on the road here met forcally this thursday. Another live show, jon. Jon yeah, were about to get it, man. Stephen thats when the rubber hits the road. Separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls. Jon come on, yes. Stephen and showtime well be live like Election Night. Building back America Great again 2020, thats half the show just saying the title. Its going to be so easy, jon. Jon i think youre going to have to fit it on two screens. Thats a long title. Stephen how about a little rubber hits the road music . Jon yes, indeed. boogiewoogie stephen jon batiste. Thank you, jon. Jon hello stephen my first guest tonight is a tonight is a political analyst, author, and the host of the reidout on msnbc. Please welcome, joy reid. Joy, thanks for being here. Its great to be here, stephen, hello. Stephen you have done something very few people have done. You have launched a new Television Show in the middle of the pandemic. Yeah. Stephen so you actually have to organize staff and everything remotely. Is this a challenge . Luckily, i like being at home. I went for the opening of the show into the studio for 30 rock. It was deserted, so we did a deserted opening shoot. Other than that, we launched it in my basement which is fine with me because afterwards i can go upstairs and go to bed. You and joe biden, both winning from the basement. Thats how we do it. Stephen 2020, ill see you in the basement. Now, okay, so what has been this is kind of an obvious question here, but there are so many stories going on at once. What is the central story for you right now . I know were in an election but what is the story that cannot be ignored . Well, you know, i feel like, for a lot of reasons, you know, black lives matter has been such a huge change in the way that everyone, even outside of the black community, thinks about, you know, about race and civil justice, but even as huge as that story is, and i think that is very close to being the biggest story, i think theres nothing that can overtake the pandemic. This Global Pandemic has changed the entire world, its changed the way youre doing your show here. We are doing this remotely. It changed the way we work, the way we live. It has changed and destabilized everything about our lives, even the way we protest. So even if you think about, you know, online related movements have been moved into the street, they move back online, and in a lot of ways, just being outside, just being out in public is sort of either this revolutionary act or sort of antigovernment act. Just being outdoors has become a political act in and of itself. So i think the pandemic is the story if not of the decade, at least of the year. Stephen well, youre a political analyst. How do you analyze this moment politically . How does covid change our politics . Well, if you think about Donald Trumps reelection, hes in a sort of frantic end stage, people call it end stage trumpism where hes going around the country sort of freaking out about masks and downing joe biden for listening to scientists, et cetera. Go back and rethink to a world in january where donald trump got that briefing, where he is told covid is airborne, that its deadly stuff as he told bob woodward. He called woodward. Woodward didnt call him. He said this stuff is deadly. Think about a different world where donald trump had acted immediately. He has a hold over 60 Million People. Theyll do whatever he says. Theyll take on whatever cause he gives them. If he had said the only way that youre a real man is if you put on a mask. Everyone needs to put one on. If he had handled the pandemic as if it were a war and had gone to war against the pandemic, he would now be going into reelection with high ratings on that issue, which is the issue in the world for everybody. Everybody who cant see their grandma, this is the issue. He would be going into it with an economy that was a complete and utter disaster. Think about what democrats would have to be running against if he had been strong ont that issue. Its ruined his presidency. Its opened up all his other flaws and made them even more sort of exacerbated in the public mind. Its ruined his political fortunes, and its ruined the republican partys political fortunes. This pandemic is also the biggest politil story of the year. Stephen okay, so i buy all of that, except that doesnt Donald Trumps success in 2016 kind of throw up in the air our ability to exactly know what the political effect of a persons behavior is . Because bidens looking great, things are looking you know, knock on everything, biden is looking great, but a lot of people who would like joe biden to win are feeling burned by 2016. I dont have to tell you. Can we know what the political reality is right now, given how wrong people were in 2016 . So i think, you know, one of the things i always tell people, because everyone has ptsd from 2016, i have ptsd from 2016, but the reality is polls are only giving you a snapshot in time, and theyre giving you a general sense of where things are going. Hillary clinton actually did win by about what the National Polls said shed win by. People couldnt anticipate a jump ball election. A jump ball election is harder to call because you dont have to powers of incumbency leaning against it, you dont have the actual fact of a president S Performance against it. Its literally a jump ball. You throw both in the air and measure them by their flaws more or less easily. This isnt a jump ball race. This is an incumbent running for election. He is the thing at issue, its not his opponent. Its not a referendum on joe biden, its a referendum on trump, and on the one job he had, keep people safe. Let people see their 80yearold grandmother, allow people to feel comfortable going to a restaurant, living normal lives, let their kids go to school. He had one job as president , he failed, and that means this is an election about him. Then you look at Everything Else about hit. Hes there now. He didnt handle the economy well when it came to the pandemic. Onequarter of businesses failed. 20 Million People on unemployment, 8 million cant pay their rent. His Foreign Policy is poor. We have been a lot of things in the world, people have been enraged, angry about the iraq war, were now a subject of pity all around the world. We have few fri