Nicolle Wallace | The Fascist And The Furious

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert Episode: Nicolle Wallace | The Fascist And The Furious
Release Date: June 11, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert delves into the tumultuous political landscape of the United States, focusing on the burgeoning authoritarian tendencies within the Republican Party under Donald Trump's influence. Colbert is joined by Nicolle Wallace, a prominent MSNBC anchor and host of the top-ranked podcast The Best People. Together, they unpack the complexities of modern American politics, the transformation of political parties, and the implications for democracy.

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Stephen Colbert's Monologue

Flag Day and the Military Parade

The episode opens with Stephen Colbert humorously addressing the upcoming Flag Day holiday and the grand military parade scheduled in Washington D.C. Colbert satirizes the event's scale and timing, noting its coincidence with Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Colbert (04:38): "We're celebrating the army on Flag Day and it's not my birthday. It is my birthday, but I'm not celebrating my birthday."

Satire on Trump's Use of Military Power

Colbert critiques the unprecedented peacetime display of military hardware, highlighting the over-the-top nature of the parade and Trump's involvement. He humorously mocks the limited presence of mules in the parade, juxtaposing it with the substantial military presence.

Colbert (05:31): "We're the only country that didn't celebrate the victory and we're the one that won the war. If it wasn't for us, that war, you would be speaking German right now."

Domestic Unrest and Military Response

Transitioning from the parade, Colbert discusses the deployment of thousands of troops and National Guard units to Los Angeles in response to civil unrest. He caricatures the government's overreaction to protests, including the mismanagement of military forces and the use of video game footage to justify their actions.

Colbert (11:56): "We have tro opponents."

Colbert emphasizes the absurdity of using military force against civilians and mocks the chaotic nature of the situation, including the deployment of Marines with unclear rules of engagement.

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Interview with Nicolle Wallace

Introduction and Reconnecting After the Pandemic

Stephen Colbert welcomes Nicolle Wallace back to the show, acknowledging the gap since their last conversation during the pandemic.

Colbert (12:23): "It's been since 2021 since I spoke to you. I actually spoke to you over Zoom the last time."

Authoritarian Tendencies in the Republican Party

The core of the interview centers on the alarming shift within the Republican Party towards authoritarianism under Trump's leadership. Wallace articulates her concerns about the lack of internal checks within the party and the absence of moderating voices that previously resisted overreach.

Wallace (15:11): "When the President says, why can't you just shoot him? Like shoot him in the legs or something like that."

Transformation from Traditional Republicanism

Wallace reflects on the historical values of the Republican Party, highlighting how the party once stood for democratic principles and fought unpopular wars, but has since diverged under Trump's influence.

Wallace (19:08): "It's the most heartbreaking thing about it, because this is the party that thought democracy was worth fighting unpopular wars for."

Comparative Analysis with the Democratic Party

Discussing the Democratic Party, Wallace contrasts its current state with that of the Republican Party, suggesting that while the Republicans have drifted towards authoritarianism, the Democrats remain poised for a potential resurgence with the right leadership.

Wallace (20:47): "The Democratic Party hasn't corrupted itself. It hasn't turned on itself in the way that the Republican Party has."

Potential for Change and Recovery

Both Colbert and Wallace express cautious optimism that the Democratic Party could experience a revival, emphasizing the importance of leadership and strategic positioning to reclaim influence.

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Concluding Insights

The episode concludes with Colbert and Wallace pondering the future of American politics. They underscore the critical junctures at which the country's democratic institutions stand and the necessity for vigilance against authoritarianism. Colbert's sharp wit and Wallace's insightful analysis provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the current political climate and the challenges ahead.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Colbert (04:38): "We're celebrating the army on Flag Day and it's not my birthday."
• Colbert (05:31): "If it wasn't for us, that war, you would be speaking German right now."
• Wallace (15:11): "When the President says, why can't you just shoot him? Like shoot him in the legs or something like that."
• Wallace (19:08): "This is the party that thought democracy was worth fighting unpopular wars for."
• Wallace (20:47): "The Democratic Party hasn't corrupted itself."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert offers a sardonic yet insightful exploration of the shifting dynamics within American political parties. Through engaging dialogue and sharp commentary, Colbert and Wallace shed light on the pressing issues facing democracy today, making it a must-listen for those seeking to understand the undercurrents shaping the nation's future.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

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[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you friends and neighbors, ladies and gentlemen, everybody out there watching. Welcome one and all to the Late Show. I'm your host Stephen Colbert. It has been. It has been. It has been an eventful week and it's only Tuesday. But you know what? Hang in there baby cuz the weekend's coming and it's a big holiday weekend. Flag Day holiday. We all definitely Celebrate every year drinking flag nog, kissing under the flaggle toe, hoping we get Flagmas presents when Old St. Betsy Ross slides down the pole. This Saturday, in honor of Flag Day and at the request of President Trump, Washington D.C. will host a big military parade featuring 7,500 soldiers, 28 Abrams tanks, 50 military helicopters, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, a display of rocket launchers and missiles, plus 34 horses, two mules and a dog. Okay, this is dictator stuff. An unprecedented peacetime display of military hardware on American soil. And. And all I can say is not enough mules. Two mules. That's it for my tax dollars. What are you thinking? You bring your whole family down to the parade. How do you explain to your kids they already missed the mules? That's whatever people come for the mules. For the record, the dog in there, and he is a member of the 1st Cavalry Division where he's used to help motivate the mules. Oh my God. Oh my God. These snowflake Gen Z mules. I need my dog at work to motivate me. Less talking, more mule' n' Officially, this is meant to be a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army. But would you look at that. The parade just happens to be taking place on Trump's 79th birthday. Wow. A military parade in Washington. And that's just for his 79th. For his 80th. He's going to make the whole army go on a girls trip to Nashville. But Trump swears, swears this isn't about him.

[Donald Trump]

We're celebrating the army on Flag Day and it's not my birthday. It is my birthday, but I'm not celebrating my birthday. I'm celebrating Flag Day happens to be the same day, so I take a little heat. But Flag Day is the appropriate date.

[Stephen Colbert]

I know how he feels. You know, I was born on May 13. And every year I have to remind people that the massive party and all the gifts are not for me. They're for International Hummus Day. Hummus. Not me. Hummus. Hummus wanted the electric motorbike from Can Am. Motorbikes that could be sent straight to the Ed Sullivan Theater. And hummus wife would never know. So if you're keeping track, if you're keeping track, the running tally of reasons for Trump's big boom boom parade, Flag Day, 250th army anniversary, and also for some reason winning World War II 80 years ago.

[Donald Trump]

We're the only country that didn't celebrate the victory and we're the one that won the war. If it wasn't for us, that war, you would be speaking German right now. Okay, we won the war. And you might be speaking Japanese too. I mean, you might be speaking a combination of both.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. No, it's so true. It's so true. A combination. You'd be speaking Deutschpanese. You would. You'd all be saying. You'd all be saying, Domo arigato, Mr. Lederhosen, for folding my schnitzel into a beautiful origami crane. That's what you'd be saying. That's not. That's history. Oh. Actually, according to the Secretary of the army, there's another reason for the parade. It's to offer a chance to tell the public about the army. Well, thank goodness. Because without this parade, the American people would have no awareness of any of our military branches. Unless they watch before a football game, during a football game, the football game, post show, or if they live in Los Angeles, California. Because this, this is day four, Day four of Donald Trump's war on anyone who didn't vote for him. We taped this at about 6:00, so I don't know if we're in a full blown civil war yet, but if, just in case our country has split into two opposing forces. I call shirts. Now, as we speak, Trump has sent thousands of troops into downtown LA to quell what historians will remember as the battle of that video of a burning Waymo car they kept showing on cable news. Now, there has been some rock throwing by protesters at ICE vehicles, but maga, Twitter has reported many more shocking incidents like this video, which claimed to show protesters firing from the ground at a National Guard jet. Only one problem. The footage from a video game called Arma 3. Okay. They also posted disturbing footage of an Italian immigrant running around murdering turtles. Authorities. Yeah, authorities also warn he could be high on mushrooms. So how did we get here? Well, remember how Trump promised to round up all the violent gang members and Hannibal Lecters roaming our streets during the campaign? Turns out there aren't that many of them. And Stephen Miller wants to deport much more than 1 million undocumented immigrants per year. So a few weeks back, he screamed at ICE agents. What do you mean you're going after criminals? Why aren't you at Home Depot? Why aren't you at 7:11? That's right. Those 7:11 workers are dangerous because they have access to biological weapons like the roller hot dog. That can't be good. That is just a fly merry go round is what that is. Then, following Stephen Miller's orders, ICE went to Los Angeles in charge of rounding up people at workplaces, which of course, led to protests that the mayor described as 100 people. 27 people were arrested. Soon after, without agreement from state leaders, Trump called in the National Guard. Well, no surprise there. I mean, Trump's just getting revenge on Tinseltown. He never won an Emmy for the Apprentice. And he was snubbed. He was snubbed in the 1993 Oscars for his performance in Home Alone 2. Yep. They gave it to Pacino for Scent of a Woman. Okay. A woman. I've smelled thousands of women, and I'm not even blind. Okay. Hooah. Hooah, Hooah. Hooah. Nia. Okay, so that's the National Guard, Right? So that's the National Guard. California didn't ask for them. But those are the troops you send in to help with the crisis within the United States. No, you don't call active duty Marines. But yesterday, on Pete Hegseth's orders, The Pentagon deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Marines are not supposed to use force against civilians in the US because the Constitution says, don't do that. Plus, it's not easy to deploy to Los Angeles. And why is that, Colonel Jessup? You can't handle the traffic because this is unprecedented. There are no clear rules of engagement, so each Marine will receive a card explaining what they can and cannot do. That could end up being confusing. All right, stay where you are, Protester. Let's see. My card says. Hold on right there. 4147-6204-3873-4223. When expiration? 928. Security code 664. Oh, wait, no, don't use that. Don't use that. I gotta call Capital One and cancel that now. There's nothing to worry about. There's no way this is gonna get out of hand, because according to the military, these Marines have been trained in de escalation, which sounds nice at first, but you'll recall this entire mess started with a tragic de escalation yesterday. Is this yesterday? At a business roundtable, Trump talked about the situation in Los Angeles.

[Donald Trump]

Thank goodness we sent out some wonderful National Guard. They've really helped. We sent out the troops and they've done a fantastic job.

[Stephen Colbert]

That is some low energy fascism right there. Next we're going to. Next we're gonna. We're gonna round up. We're gonna round up journalists. Journalists, I guess. And we're gonna grind them up and feed them to my. To my birthday mules. I mean. I mean, my flag mules. My flag mules. We got a great show for you tonight coming up.

[Nicole Wallace]

Nicole Wallace.

[Stephen Colbert]

Ladies and gentlemen. My first guest tonight of MSNBC's deadline, White House. Please welcome back to the Late Show, Nicole Wallace.

[Nicole Wallace]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nice to see you again.

[Nicole Wallace]

You made a nice day.

[Stephen Colbert]

Here's the thing, as I was saying to you backstage, is that I can't believe it's been since 2021 since I spoke to you. I actually spoke to you over zoom the last time.

[Nicole Wallace]

Pandemic.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, exactly. Maybe it's just cause I watch your show. I feel like I've talked to you more recently, but so much has happened since 2021.

[Nicole Wallace]

Since yesterday.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Did you. Yeah, yeah, the pace. Yeah, the pace is what you have to, like, get. Gear yourself back up for when he's back in office. I forgot that it's relentless. You gotta keep the cardio up.

[Nicole Wallace]

But you are on top of it. I mean, you are.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, you. Two hour. You do two hours five nights a week, right?

[Nicole Wallace]

Yeah. Talk about cardio, that is.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, so now that he's back, is. Does anything surprise you or does everything surprise you?

[Nicole Wallace]

Everything.

[Stephen Colbert]

Everything. Really?

[Nicole Wallace]

Yeah. I think that you have to look at him with wonder because there's no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like a night sky or a beautiful sunset.

[Nicole Wallace]

Yeah, like the movie Twister. Right? They went for sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, exactly.

[Nicole Wallace]

No, I think you have to look at him with wonder and you have to look at. Look. I think the fight he had, I know you've talked about it with Elon Musk was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. And you're really.

[Stephen Colbert]

That was very joyful.

[Nicole Wallace]

Slash terrifying.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Nicole Wallace]

You know, and I hate all the comparisons to adolescent boys. That's mean to adolescent boys. It was like tarantulas in a bowl.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, I heard you call it tarantulas in a bowl and a car crash or something like that. Yeah. And what about tarantulas in a car? Like two crashing two tarantulas in, like a flaming waymo.

[Nicole Wallace]

I mean, here's like. We're out of metaphors, right? We're out of metaphors. And I think at the end of the day, it's on us to ask why. Like, why break all the laws when you're in charge of every lever of power?

[Stephen Colbert]

I have a theory. I have a theory. And I think that he's not entirely aware that he is breaking laws.

[Nicole Wallace]

Really.

[Stephen Colbert]

I think he doesn't care that he's breaking laws. I think he Just has his appetites. The man wants what he wants.

[Nicole Wallace]

Maybe.

[Stephen Colbert]

And laws be damned, get me what I want in the nugget hole. I want it. You know what I mean? Like, I think he just.

[Nicole Wallace]

That's what the White House chef is for. Right. Like make me what I want. I mean, I think the appetite for destruction is the most undercovered part of the Trump story.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, he creates chaos and he enjoys.

[Nicole Wallace]

That he's doing in LA is about creating destruction so that he can go in there. Like he's playing the part, looking for opportunities.

[Stephen Colbert]

Guild metaphor of throwing a grenade into the room and going into the room.

[Nicole Wallace]

Or the arsonist going in.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly.

[Nicole Wallace]

Cleaning up the.

[Stephen Colbert]

So, okay, so you were with the Bush administration, the wc.

[Nicole Wallace]

We always talk about this.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I mean, it's part of your cv, baby.

[Nicole Wallace]

I know, I know, I know.

[Stephen Colbert]

And it leaves, you know, I feel.

[Nicole Wallace]

Like it's where there's distance between us.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, there's no distance between us.

[Nicole Wallace]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

But here's the thing, is that you worked in that administration and when you look at the people that Trump has hired this time around.

[Nicole Wallace]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

As opposed to last time around. Cuz you were there, you saw cabinet meetings and stuff like that. What does it say to you about who he hired this time?

[Nicole Wallace]

Well, I don't know any of them.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm not saying.

[Nicole Wallace]

No, no. This is a serious point. Last time they still came from Republican politics. There were still people in every agency that. I kn. Sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

He reached out. Correct.

[Nicole Wallace]

In the first term they weren't at the highest levels, but in the first term this is actually really important at a policy lever place. The people that tapped Robert Mueller to investigate Trump's ties to Russia were normal Republicans. There are none of them there. And if you talk to former senior military officials, what's different about Stephen Miller running the ICE raids and running basically a siege of Los Angeles is that there is no Mark Milley, there is no Mark Esper, there is no Jim Mattis. And that's the big difference and that's the danger.

[Stephen Colbert]

There's nobody to push back. When the President says, why can't you just shoot him? Like shoot him in the legs or something like that. Correct. As Esper has and Millie. Exactly. More than 700 Marines and 2,000 National Guard troops have been sent there to deal with it. We've seen Trump stretch his presidential powers over the last five months. Is this different?

[Nicole Wallace]

It feels different. It feels different to. Can we swear here?

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[Nicole Wallace]

Around with the military, it feels really different. And he wanted to the first time, but people Like Mark Milley and Mark. People stopped him. And it feels really different to use the military as pawns out loud and as a public tactic. That feels different to me.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have to take a quick break. We'll be right back. MSNBC anchor and host of the new podcast the Best People, Nicole Wallace. You got a new podcast. It is currently number one on the Apple charts. It is called. I don't have a graphic or anything here. It's called the Best People, which, you.

[Nicole Wallace]

Know, Trump's first brand, and it worked for me.

[Stephen Colbert]

All the best. I'm only gonna have all the best people. Okay. And then he thought, oh, these are good people. I should fire them. So. Correct.

[Nicole Wallace]

Go with Matt Gaetz.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, first of all, congratulations. It's not easy to get to be the number one podcast. Why do you think people go to a podcast so much now instead of like, sort of what we think of as standard news?

[Nicole Wallace]

So I started listening to Smart List during the pandemic, and I never thought of myself.

[Stephen Colbert]

That is definitely not news podcast.

[Nicole Wallace]

But there's something about listening to. To something I think in your ear when you're running. And I'm a mom, a lot of my mom friends never have time to watch my show. And so I think there is something different about podcasts. And I think after the election, I wanted to do more and be in more places. And I think it's up to us on the pro democracy side, the keep America the country we love side, to take the actual best people and put them anywhere we can.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, we gotta go. Okay, but before we do, before we do, I'm gonna ask you a question. We may not even have time for this, but I'll ask you a question. It's kind of an unfair question.

[Nicole Wallace]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

And you may know what this question is, is that I've asked this of a couple of people who formally identified as Republicans. And I want to start off by saying that I fully grant that there can be authoritarians on the right and there can be authoritarians on the left. Neither political viewpoint has a lock on who might give in to an authoritarian strongman. We've seen it different things all over the world throughout history. Why do you think in America, your former party, the Republican Party, beat the Democrats to that eventuality? Why would you think they were the first party that actually went ahead and threw everything out the window in order to serve a strongman?

[Nicole Wallace]

It's the most heartbreaking thing about it, because this is the party that thought democracy was worth fighting unpopular wars for. I mean, it is the biggest perversion of what the Republicans told themselves they were for 100 years.

[Stephen Colbert]

I grant you the heartache, but why do you think it happened?

[Nicole Wallace]

I think it was the most weak. I think it was weak at the core, and I think it was the most drawn to Trump's toxicity. I think it never found a moment, despite the fact that there were hundreds of off ramps to say, no, this isn't who we are.

[Stephen Colbert]

So the Republican Party itself might have been weakened or felt themselves to be weakened after Obama, and then they glommed onto something that seemed powerful, which is Trump's popularity with the people, and they just stayed on that horse or they rode that tiger thinking it wouldn't eat their souls.

[Nicole Wallace]

I think that's right. But I think it was weakened even after, to be honest, the two Bush terms. I think the party had to be reimagined, and I think they had to.

[Stephen Colbert]

Because of the unpopularity of the eighth.

[Nicole Wallace]

The unpopularity of the eight years. I think it had to be reimagined. I think you had to come out with new ideas. I think the base of the Republican Party was turning on the idea of trade. I think the base of the Republican Party, a lot of the country, had turned on the two wars. And I think it was up to Republicans that came after the Bush years to reimagine what the party was going to stand for. Instead, Trump came in, and I think at first they were as taken by his celebrity as anyone in the party. And I think they followed their voters in love with someone who was a mirage.

[Stephen Colbert]

A lot of people say that the Democratic Party is at a very weak moment right now. Do you think they're a danger of an autocrat?

[Nicole Wallace]

I don't know. And I think that in politics, you're one leader away from a comeback. You know, you're one like Rudy character away from this unlikely hero. And so I think the Democratic Party hasn't rotted. I mean, the Democratic Party hasn't corrupted itself. It hasn't turned on itself in the way that the Republican Party has. And I think the Democratic Party is one leader away from being something fresh and appealing to a majority of voters. Again, I think the Republican Party is still heading down, down, down, following Trump and his authoritarian ways.

[Stephen Colbert]

I agree.

[Nicole Wallace]

I'm so glad you had a skeptical look. Can I ask you a question?

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm not skeptical. Just the whole thing depresses me.

[Nicole Wallace]

It is depressing. So the first round of the best people were people that I do think are the best people, but I knew how to find them. I didn't know how to find you, would you come talk to us? Would you be one of our best people?

[Stephen Colbert]

You can come talk to me anytime you want.

[Nicole Wallace]

Thank you. We'd love to.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you. Thank you, Nicole. Thank you. Thank you. New episodes of the best People are out Mondays wherever you get your podcast. Nicole Wallace, 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. Summer of cinema is here and Pluto TV is exploding with thousands of free movies Stream blockbusters like Gladiator, Mission Impossible, Beverly Hills Cop, and Good Bur. All totally free on Pluto tv. Stream now pay never. This summer, Pluto TV is exploding with thousands of free movies stream hits like Good Burger, Four Brothers the Wood, Paid in full and Beverly Hills Cop, all for free. It's summer of Cinema on Pluto tv. Stream now pay never.