Jen Psaki | Land Of The Freezing

Summary

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The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Jen Psaki | Land Of The Freezing
Date: December 5, 2025
Guest: Jen Psaki, former White House Press Secretary, host of With Jen Psaki on Ms. Now

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show features Stephen Colbert in conversation with Jen Psaki. The main themes include freedom of the press under the current administration, congressional turmoil, declining public engagement in politics, and communications challenges for both parties. The tone blends Colbert's signature satire and wit with Psaki's experience-driven insights.

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Monologue Highlights (01:36–12:45)

Stephen Colbert opens with his trademark witty take on current political events, including:

• Coldest Weather & Political Satire (01:42–02:33): Jokes about the arctic blast across the Midwest, blaming climate change—tongue-in-cheek—on Donald Trump.
  • Quote: “Where does this end? April? Thanks, Donald Trump.” – Stephen Colbert [02:05]
• Trump, Automobiles, and EPA Rollbacks (02:33–04:34): Skewers Trump’s announcement to roll back emissions standards and champion gas-powered cars.
  • Quote: “All you need in a car is the basics, folks. You need a gas pedal, you need a steering wheel, and a little hula lady on the dashboard.” – Stephen Colbert [02:48]
• Satirical News on Trump Installing His Name on Federal Buildings (04:37–06:26): Pokes fun at the renaming of the Institute of Peace and Trump’s "deal-making legacy".
• Venezuelan Boat Strike Controversy & Pentagon Scandal (06:26–10:38): Satirical dive into recent military actions, focusing on allegations of war crimes and leaks from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
  • Quote: “You blew them up for touching their radio? Who are they? Your dad on a road trip?” – Stephen Colbert [08:22]
• Spotify Wrapped Humor & Pantone's Color of the Year (10:38–12:28): Comic riff on music tastes and the announcement that 2026's “Color of the Year” is… white.
  • Quote: “Prepare your eyeballs everybody. Cause here it is. White.” – Stephen Colbert [12:20]

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Jen Psaki Interview

Press Freedom & Pentagon Restrictions (14:50–18:55)

• New Restrictions on the Pentagon Press Corps:
  Colbert asks Psaki about the recent Pentagon directive requiring press to sign loyalty oaths and only report pre-approved information.
  • Quote: "The value ultimately of the press knowing anything?" – Stephen Colbert [16:07]
  • Psaki’s Response: Emphasizes the crucial role of a free press and the importance of tough, unscripted questions for a healthy democracy.
    • Quote: “The freedom of press and the fact that the US Government has people who stand up there and answer real questions every day… that's a part of our democracy.” – Jen Psaki [16:14]
• Lawsuit Over First Amendment Rights:
  Psaki addresses The New York Times lawsuit against the Pentagon, highlighting the alarming nature of the new restrictions but noting major outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax, refused to sign the pledge.
  • Quote: “What is so interesting right now in Washington is what is happening with the Pentagon press corps. It actually surprised me what they did.” – Jen Psaki [17:10]
• Press Briefings Lack Substance:
  Psaki and Colbert lampoon the composition of the current press corps and the resulting lack of real news from Pentagon briefings.
  • Quote: “They had a press briefing… and they made no news, no news at all, which is pretty remarkable.” – Jen Psaki [18:11]

Congressional Dysfunction and Political Resignations (18:55–20:46)

• House Leadership Under Fire:
  Discussion on Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak leadership and Republican dissatisfaction. Colbert notes the GOP’s special election win by a slim margin in Tennessee, a sign of shifting tides.
  • Quote: "Is it really his fault? Isn't it Trump's fault? He's not running anything. Trump's running everything." – Stephen Colbert [19:29]
• Democratic Opportunities and GOP Infighting:
  Psaki explains the slim balance in the House and growing public and private criticism of current leadership, including rifts within the Republican caucus.
  • Quote: “Democrats only need three, a net gain of three seats in order to be in control of the House of Representatives.” – Jen Psaki [20:16]

Declining Public Engagement in Politics (22:37–25:11)

• Americans Opting Out of News:
  Citing a poll showing a significant drop in daily news engagement, Colbert wonders how parties can encourage participation.
  • Quote: “Doesn't it seem that people are just sort of checking out and believing that paying attention to what's happening to politics is actually going to have some impact on their life?” – Stephen Colbert [23:12]
• Psaki’s Recommendations:
  Calls for more authentic communication from politicians—"burn the talking points"—and for leaders to engage in real conversations, especially in unexpected communities.
  • Quote: “You have to say speak like a human being, which sounds very obvious. Start with what you think and then start telling people what you think. You don't need poll-tested language.” – Jen Psaki [24:27]
  • Highlights successful communicators: AOC, Chris Murphy, Gavin Newsom, Wes Moore, Josh Shapiro.

Messaging Around "Affordability" (25:16–26:09)

• Colbert on Shifting Rhetoric:
  Notes both Trump and Democrats are using "affordability" messages, often contradictorily.
• Psaki on GOP Flaws:
  Encourages Republicans to keep echoing inconsistent White House messaging, implying it benefits Democrats.
  • Quote: “It's a great message. Keep at it everybody. There you go. So yeah, that is not a workable message. I don't know why he's doing it, but I hope they echo him.” – Jen Psaki [25:54]

Presidential Competence and War Decisions (26:09–27:48)

• Trump’s Role in Military Decisions:
  Colbert questions if any past president has been as uninformed about acts of war as Trump, referencing recent controversial strikes.
  • Quote: “Have you ever seen another commander in chief so out of the loop when it comes specifically to acts of war against another nation against whom we have not declared war?” – Stephen Colbert [26:48]
• Psaki's Experience:
  Contrasts Trump with Obama and Biden, describing former presidents as deeply engaged and proactive with national security, highlighting the gravity of decisions involving lives.
  • Quote: “It's not just that they were up to speed on what was happening. They demanded to know what was happening… the most serious thing and decision that came to their desk was decisions about life and death and putting our men and women in uniform in harm's way.” – Jen Psaki [27:19]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colbert, Satirical Burn: “Dance for me, tiny ukulele bride.” [03:03]
• Psaki, On the Press: “Taking real questions. Some questions I answered better than other questions. But I did that because I'm a firm believer… that's a part of our democracy.” [16:14]
• Colbert, On the Modern Press Conference: “So those are the clowns that got in there now. But still wouldn't. They're just softball questions, wouldn't that have been lovely for you as the person at the podium?” [15:59]
• Psaki, On Politician Communication: “You have to say speak like a human being… you don't need poll tested language.” [24:27]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Colbert’s Monologue Highlights: 01:36–12:45
• Jen Psaki Joins: 14:50
• Press Freedom Segment: 15:04–18:55
• Congressional Dysfunction: 18:55–20:46
• Public Engagement/Media Literacy: 22:37–25:11
• Affordability Messaging: 25:16–26:09
• Presidential Competence and War: 26:09–27:48

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Final Thoughts

This episode insightfully skewers the current political climate, highlighting the challenges facing press freedom, congressional gridlock, and communication breakdowns in both major parties. Psaki’s inside perspective offers an urgent call for authentic leadership and greater media transparency, all within Colbert’s blend of humor and sharp criticism.

For more:
The Briefing with Jen Psaki airs Tuesdays–Fridays on Ms. Now.

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Transcript

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[A]

Friends and neighbors. Welcome to THE Late show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. Folks.

There has been, there has been a story going around in the news the last couple of days and frankly, we've been hesitant to touch it. But it feels irresponsible to stay silent any longer. It's cold outside.

Yet only a few months ago it was not. Where does this end? April?

Thanks, Donald Trump.

Right now, an arctic blast is sweeping down the country, especially in the Midwest. In Chicago today, wind chills were expected to reach as low as as 20 degrees below zero. And if they say, listen, I lived in Chicago, please, everybody in Chicagoland, if it's that cold, please remember to layer. I mean, just look at this tragic picture of a Chicagoan trying to hail a cab today.

Yesterday, Trump met auto industry leaders and announced that he's throwing out all the rules Biden put in place to encourage companies to make cars electric. This is a green new scam and people were paying too much for a car that didn't work as well. All of the nonsense is being taken out of the cars. All you need in a car is the basics, folks. You need a gas pedal, you need the steering wheel, and a little hula lady on the dashboard. There you go.

Dance for me, tiny ukulele bride. Look, don't go trying to peek underneath her skirt. I checked. It's all spring.

Trump discussed other EPA standards he's throwing down the. Well, we're canceling the EPA's absurd tailpipe emission standards. Well, that makes sense. He'd want to change that. I mean, standing behind a tailpipe is how he applies his makeup.

Rev it up.

It's not. It's not clear how getting rid of these standards is going to lower car costs or really help anyone. So this morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy went on the TV to defend it. I want the market to decide what kind of ev I should offer. What kind of. What kind of vehicles do the American consumers want to buy? This rule will actually allow you to bring back the 1970s station wagon. That's right. We're going back to the 70s, everybody. Come on, kids, hop in the station wagon. No seat belt, so hold on tight to your beers.

Now.

Now, everybody, everybody roll up the windows. Daddy needs a smoke.

Don't want you kids missing any of the flavor.

Yesterday.

Trump slapped his name on another building in D.C. because the state Department announced the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.

Ah, ah, ah. Now, now, he's certainly a piece of something.

Now, the.

The State Department tweet says they renamed the building to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history.

What are you talking about? The greatest dealmaker? Are these people forgetting our founding father, General Wayne Brady.

He can sing, too.

Critics were surprised because previously the administration had called the Institute of Peace bloated and useless. So, Donald Trump.

This afternoon. I got there first. Did I get there first?

Got to be careful where I point this. This afternoon, Trump doubled down on his pacifist credentials, celebrating a treaty he negotiated in Africa with the banner Delivering Peace. But he had an unusual choice of pre show music.

Yes, it's the most inappropriate music choice since that famous footage of the Hindenburg. This girl is on fire.

There you go.

Speaking of peace war, you'll recall that Trump and his Secretary of defense, Pete Hagseth, are in a bit of hot water because the United States military has been bombing what they say are Venezuelan drug smuggling boats without presenting any evidence, as you do back in September. Back in September, they seem to have gotten a little loosey goosey with international law when they launched a second strike to kill any survivors of a first strike that they had made. Hagseth is just frantically pointing the finger at Navy admiral who is overseeing the operation. Frank Mitch Bradley. Today, Mitch testified, and to be Frank.

Things went Bradley.

Reportedly, the admiral defended his actions, arguing the two survivors were attempting to continue their drug run because they were seen still aboard the damaged vessel alongside packages of illegal narcotics. Yeah, but the boat was blown to bits. How are they going to continue their drug run? Ride to Miami on the back of Dolphin drug mules? Wait, what's that? Flipper.

You want to start a band, Flipper? Are you high?

I knew it. I knew it. That's why they call it a blowhole.

But wait, there's dumber. The military is also claiming that the survivors were still a threat because they took a hostile action, which in this case, was radioing for help after their boat was hit. You blew them up for touching their radio?

Who are they? Your dad on a road trip?

All right, come on, kids.

Hands off. It's the Bruce Springsteen serious channel until we hit international waters. Then it's all Steely Dan.

We're also learning that in October, Hegseth ousted a different admiral who expressed concerns about the legality of the boat bombings. Admiral Alvin Halsey. Hegseth also reportedly fired Halsey because he was suspicious that Halsey might have been the source of media leaks. Oh, come on. Who would he have leaked to?

Don't touch Dad's radio. Don't touch dad. It's my Spotify.

Prior to all the war crimey stuff, Secretary Hegseth was best known for revealing war plans on the non secure app signal in a text chain that oops a daisy included the Atlantic's editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Well, that scandal has reared its delicious head again because today the inspector general's report dropped and found that Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information which could have endangered American troops. That's surprising. Usually to endanger the lives of American troops, Hegseth uses an axe.

So.

Real footage.

Now, just how did the intrepid inspector general uncover that Hegseth revealed when the first bombs might drop? Well, it could have been when Hegseth posted in the chat. This is definitely when the first bombs will drop. So I'm not sure how much longer he's going to be sec Deaf. But don't worry. He already has a fallback position lined up. He's going to be wingman for that drunken raccoon.

Now. They remembered. They remembered.

We're getting close to the last days of 2025, which means Spotify is doing their year end list. Turns out Bad Bunny is their most streamed global artist of the year. That's not a surprise. No surprises there. I'm a taste maker and Bad Bunny came on my show.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Same reason all the kids are shaking their booties to the latest banger from Ken Burns.

But most exciting of all, Spotify Wrapped is here. And this year there's a new feature called Listening Age, which tells users how old their music taste makes them. For example, if you listen to a lot of music from the early Spotify thinks you're 67. And because my top artist of the year was Majestic Tropical Thunderstorm by Music for Deep Sleep.

Spotify accurately predicted my age as 4 billion years old.

Spotify also added something called clubs, which sorts listeners into groups based on their tastes. If you like upbeat music, you're in Club Serotonin. And if you listen to over 1,000 minutes of Kid Rock, you're in club court ordered DUI class.

Of course.

Of course, folks are already looking ahead to next year because today Pantone revealed its 2026 Color of the Year. Ooh, what is it? Is it a zesty yellow? A creamy blue? A sultry green with a checkered past and a secret family two towns over? Prepare your eyeballs everybody. Cause here it is. White.

Really? You know you've given up when someone asks, what's your favorite color? And your answer is pizza napkin.

Now technically, technically folks, Pantone says the color is Cloud Dancer. No, Cloud Dancer is the name of a toy unicorn or what your aunt insists you call her after she went to Burning Man. We got a great show for you tonight.

[C]

Coming up. Jen Psaki.

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[A]

Welcome back, my loves. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest tonight is a former White House press secretary and the host of with Jen Psaki on Ms. Now, please welcome back to the late show. JEN Psaki.

Welcome back.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Now, the last time we spoke, you worked for msnbc. You presently work for Ms. Now.

[C]

I do.

[A]

How often and be honest, do you make the mistake and call it msnbc?

[B]

Every once in a while. It's okay.

[A]

I might during this interview.

[B]

It's totally fine. You're not getting any demerits. It's okay.

[A]

Now you were at the White House press podium for how long were you there?

[B]

A year and a half. But I was at the State Department for two and a half years.

[A]

At that podium.

[B]

At that podium.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I've done a lot of podiuming.

[A]

Now for the people who may have forgotten, the Pentagon put out a directive this year saying you gotta sign an oath essentially of loyalty to Pete Hegseth and you can't report anything that we don't approve at the Pentagon or else your passage and you can't come back into the Pentagon. So now they just got.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

It's like Matt Gaetz and Laura Loom are in there now, right?

[B]

Not just like they are literally in there. And James o', Keefe, who is, you may remember from publishing Ashley Biden's diary, he's also in the press conference.

[A]

So those are the clowns that got in there now. But still wouldn't. They're just softball questions, wouldn't that have been lovely for you as the person at the podium? What is the value ultimately of the press knowing anything?

[B]

Go. What a good question, Stephen.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I mean, look, I stood behind podiums for years. I probably did thousands of hours behind podiums taking real questions. Taking real questions. Some questions I answered better than other questions. But I did that because I'm a firm believer, as I think so many Americans are, that the freedom of press and the fact that the US Government has people who stand up there and answer real questions every day, including when they're tough questions, when the administration needs to be held, Democrats and Republicans, that's a part of our democracy. It's a part of what we talk about in other parts of the world. And that's why I did it. Even on days where I would walk out there and curse under my breath and know I was about to get a verbal beating from the press corps, it still is such an important part of what you do.

[A]

The New York Times is suing the Pentagon over First Amendment rights. Do you think that they got any legs?

[C]

Maybe.

[B]

I think. What's so interesting about this?

[A]

Let's move on.

[B]

Well, I think they did.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

No, no. Well, I can't speak to what the courts are going to do. But what I mean is this. What is so interesting right now in Washington is what is happening with the Pentagon press corps. It actually surprised me what they did. And you referenced, of course, the fact that they were all asked to sign this pledge that they would basically not report any information the Pentagon didn't authorize, which is not how reporting works in any way, shape or form. And you know what? Give credit where credit is due. Fox News refused to sign that. I think Newsmax refused to sign it. All of the major outlets, for the most part, with some exceptions, refused to sign that. And this lawsuit is all about how they are not being able to report on what is happening in the department that oversees war and peace in our country.

[A]

This would be a good week to be able to ask questions, too.

[B]

Well, I think you've talked about this, but I could not get over they had a. The press corps, I'm gonna put them in quotes because it includes Laura Loomer and James o' Keefe and this crew. It's not a real press corps. So this week has been quite a week, as you outlined in your monologue of things. Anyone here, anyone watching, might have questions for Pete Hegseth. They had a press briefing with him where they could ask anything they wanted, and they made no news, no news at all, which is pretty remarkable. But I will say what is encouraging to me at least, is that all of these outlets that did not sign the pledge that no longer have desks in the Pentagon, they have been making tons of news. They have been reporting the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, you Need a telephone. You need a telephone. You need to be fearless and you need to hold. Hold the administration to account. Any administration that is.

[A]

Now, let's talk about Congress. I want to get back to the Pentagon in a second, but I want to talk about Congress for a second. Mike Johnson is.

[B]

Little Mike Johnson.

[A]

Little Mike Johnson. Somebody's little boy. Be careful now, he's in hot water. The GOP narrowly won a special election in Tennessee. I mean, by nine points. But Trump won the district by 22.

[B]

22 last year, a year ago.

[A]

So that's a big swing.

His lack of leadership is being criticized by other members of the gop, some quite publicly. What's going on in the House? Well, is it really his fault? Isn't it Trump's fault? He's not running anything. Trump's running everything.

[B]

Well, first of all, Mike Johnson is the speaker of the House and second in line to the presidency. He's the most powerful person in one of the branches of government and he absolutely should be running things, which he has declined to do. Cuz he's waiting for phone calls from Donald Trump, I believe. But what has been interesting is there has been a lot of dissatisfaction with him from many members. Elise Stefanik. I don't know what's. She's very mad. I can just say that. You can see it in the public reporting at Mike Johnson.

[A]

She's very running for governor.

[B]

She's very running for governor. Nancy Mace.

[A]

She's very crazy.

[B]

Also true.

[A]

Very crazy.

[B]

But that aside, they're part of his caucus. Democrats only need three, a net gain of three seats in order to be in control of the House of Representatives.

It's a very slim margin and already there are members speaking up publicly and speaking privately and saying, I don't like how Mike Johnson treats me. I don't like how Donald Trump treats me. I may resign before even next November.

[A]

People are. It's not just mtg. Other people are resigning as well, aren't they?

[B]

Yes. And are threatening to resign. Nancy Macey may be crazy, but if she leaves Congress, that's one seat that Mike Johnson doesn't have.

[A]

We have to take a quick break. We're right back with more. Jen Psaki. Everybody, stick around.

[C]

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[A]

More.

We're here with Ms. Now's Jen Psaki. You're obsessed with a lot of people asking this question, what is the future of the Democratic Party? Okay, I'd like to broaden that slightly. I read this morning in our news breakdown that a recent poll shows that in 2016, 51% of the American public said that they paid some or a lot of attention to the news every day. Now that's 36%. That's a 15. It's an enormous percentage drop.

Doesn't it seem that people are just sort of checking out and believing that paying attention to what's happening to politics is actually going to have some impact on their life? What can either party and let's you can start with the Democrats. What can either party do to make people begin to believe again that they should pay attention to what politicians are.

[B]

Doing? Well, look, I think people, a lot of people from friends of mine too, kind of opted out after the election last year. Wanted to turn off the news, didn't want to pay attention to it. What I always tell people is if you don't engage in it and don't pay attention to it, it's still moving forward without you. I mean, people are still being elected. Congress could still change hands or not. If you remove yourself from the process, it just means you don't get to share what your view is on it. But in terms of politicians, I think a couple things they can do. One of them is they need to just burn the talking points in a big bonfire of all of the national groups, including the national.

[A]

Parties. Who's doing that well? Is there anybody who's doing that well.

[B]

Already? I do think there are a number of people who are doing this well. I think AOC is doing this well. I think she is doing it well. I think Chris Murphy is doing this very well. I think Gavin Newsom is doing this well. Wes Moore is doing this well. There are a number of people. Josh Shapiro, I think it was the election was a big wake up call a year ago and it should have been. And I think it made clear for a lot of people who were in office or wanted to run for office that you have to say speak like a human being, which sounds very obvious. Start with what you think and then start telling people what you think. You don't need poll tested language. You don't need things that sound so carefully put together. Speak like a human being. The other thing I think that people can do to start winning back trust is showing up in places that are unexpected. You know, we've had a lot of, spent a lot of time politics, politicians spend a lot of time spending money on ads, even on social media too. And it's about showing up in communities where people may not agree with you, where they can ask questions, where you can do town halls. I've seen some people start doing that. I think that's a very positive thing and there needs to be much more of.

[A]

It. Now. One of the things.

In the off year election that we just had where Spamberger and Mikey Sherrill and Mamdani won here in New York.

Affordability. Affordability was the word that was used. What do you make of Donald Trump last week saying that he is the affordability president and then a few days later saying affordability is a Democratic.

[B]

Scam.

The affordability. Let's start.

[A]

There. Exactly. How's the messaging going on this.

[B]

One? Well, look, I would say as somebody who really would like to see one, the Democratic Party take over some part of government so that they can be a check on Donald Trump. May all the Republicans running repeat the message coming out of the White House moving forward. It's a great message. Keep at it everybody. There you go. So yeah, that is not a workable message. I don't know why he's doing it, but I hope they echo him.

[A]

Which they may you worked for two commanders in chief. And I'm just curious, when you look at the.

Various ways that these strikes on these boats, these alleged drug boats, that when these strikes have been originally reported and ordered and there have been 10 of them now, I think 88 people have been killed in all something in that area. And when you hear about a changing story about why there was a second strike, or actually it was a third strike, actually, no, it was fourth strike. And Donald Trump says, I don't know what any of that was about. Have you ever seen another commander in chief so out of the loop when it comes specifically to acts of war against another nation against whom we have not declared.

[B]

War? I mean, I've never seen another president out of the loop, period, so much. But national security issues, it's true. I hate to say that. It's sad that that is true. He's also very sleepy, so he's napping sometime. But national security issues. I worked for two presidents. It's not just that they were up to speed on what was happening. They demanded to know what was happening. I would be sitting in the Oval Office with President Obama, with President Biden, and there might be any range of military actions, not illegal ones happening where people are being killed that are war crimes. Not those, but any type of military action. And they, you might be in the middle of a meeting about something else and they would say, I need an update from the secretary of defense. I need an update from the national security advisor. Because they felt the most serious thing and decision that came to their desk was decisions about life and death and putting our men and women in uniform in harm's way. And that's what I always.

[A]

Experienced. Well, Jen, thanks so much for being here. Good to see you again. Thanks for having me. The briefing with Jen Psaki airs Tuesdays through Friday on Ms. Now, Jen Psaki, everybody.

Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

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