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Stephen Colbert explains why he thinks Donald Trump doesn't really want to be president at all
(CBS)
Stephen Colbert with Donald Trump, inset, before and after the presidency.
Stephen Colbert has an interesting theory about Donald Trump's desire to run for president. He thinks the politician's outlandish comments are cries for help.
He laid out the theory on Monday's "Late Show" after Trump told an audience in Iowa over the weekend that his voters are so loyal, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody. And I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?"
Colbert's thinking comes days before the first primary vote, as many in the Republican party contemplate what's in store for them in the election. The National Review published an entire "Against Trump" issue with essays by prominent Republicans. And yet, Trump still holds the No. 1 position in the polls.
"That's right. Trump's voters will not leave," Colbert said. "I think that represents a huge problem for one person: Donald Trump. Because when I hear this man say 'nothing can stop me from winning, not even shooting people,' I don't hear an appeal to voters — I hear a cry for help."
Republican dismay isn't just over Trump's staying power. Texas senator Ted Cruz is Trump's closest rival in the polls, but he's so disliked in his own party, the Associated Press reported that Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina told supporters at a campaign fundraiser that he would vote for Bernie Sanders before Cruz.
"Ted, you just got thrown under the bus, and it's a VW biodiesel," Colbert, who introduced Cruz as a "half-melted GI Joe," joked.
So, what does this all mean for Trump? He may actually become president, which Colbert doesn't believe he really wants.
"Let's remember, here's a guy who ran for president probably to promote his reality show, or his mattress brand, or his line of premium ex-wives," the host said. "And now he looks like he might actually win. And no matter what he says or does — criticizing women, attacking Mexicans, banning Muslims, saying John McCain is a loser for being a prisoner of war — none of it affects his popularity. So he may not be saying, 'I can shoot someone and still be elected president.' He may be saying, 'I can shoot someone and still be elected president? [silently mouths] Help me.'
"Because Donald Trump can't really want to be president," he finished.
Watch Colbert make his argument about Trump's run below:
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