Former House Speaker John Boehner did a quick job of Meghan McCain The view Monday morning. That same night he faced a slightly more formidable interviewer with Stephen Colbert.
Boehner, whose new book On the House: A Washington Memoir Colbert described him as “juicy” and “candid,” he promised to be so revealing during his Late Show appearance. In addition to Bourbon and Cabernet, Boehner discussed the various “jars” he had to deal with during his time as “mayor of Crazytown” in politics. He also eagerly repeated his new nickname of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), “Lucifer in the flesh.”
But when Colbert pressured him to explain how his party was going so far from the end, Boehner tried Democrats and Republicans “both sides.” He blamed the “right-wing media” for “wanting more noise”, but said: “The problem is not only on the far right, but also on the far left.”
“I think Republicans have improved by having a media arm that helps inflate their worst instincts than Democrats, but if both parties do that, how can Nancy Pelosi correct her crazy ones and you can’t correct yours?”
Boehner admitted that Pelosi has “done a better job” of keeping Democrats together than Republican leaders, but tried to say it was because Republicans are more “independent” than Democrats.
“Wait a second, I don’t think that’s true!” Colbert fired back.
From there, the host tried to get Boehner to admit that Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 uprising made him essentially a “political terrorist,” but he resisted the label. Then, acknowledging that he voted for Trump in 2020, Boehner claimed he suddenly felt “mistreated” when the former president refused to grant and claimed the election was stolen.
When they got to the “speed round,” in which Colbert called for instant reactions from the most powerful politicians of the last two decades or so, Boehner was mostly generous. He called Mike Pence a “really good guy, a solid Christian,” would just say Trump was a “crazy,” and nicknamed him Mitch McConnell a “Stealth Vader.”
Colbert insisted on explaining what happened to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), but Boehner just called him “one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet in your life.”
“I like fun haha or com curious what the fuck is going on with this guy? The host asked in response.
Boehner claimed Graham is legitimately funny and is also a “pretty good dancer” on the tracks.
However, when it came to Cruz, he could not contain himself. “Lucifer in the flesh,” he said once more with a smile, before adding, “The most miserable son of a bitch I’ve ever had.”