OAN Staff Jenna Lee
6:10 AM – Thursday, May 7, 2026
Former President Barack Obama and “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert praised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist, while speaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
In an interview on Tuesday night, Obama and Colbert examined the ongoing rift between the Democrat Party’s liberal and progressive wings, highlighting other major political figures such as Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“So you have great leaders. You have people like Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, very centrist. But then you have further left, like AOC and Zohran Mamdani. What direction do you think would be best for this party, to actually achieve change?” asked Colbert.
Obama told the host that he was “not so worried about this so-called rift,” expressing optimism that leftists and liberals still have similar goals.
“You look at somebody like Mamdani, who I think is an extraordinary talent. He wants people to be able to afford housing in New York. Well, you know, I would assume liberals in New York want the same thing. And so I don’t worry as much about some of these issues within the Democratic Party. I’m more interested in for Democrats is — do you know to just talk to regular people like we’re not in a college seminar, right? You know, can you talk plain English to folks about,” he stated.
“I think that’s one of the powers that Mamdani has,” Colbert observed. “Not only does he talk like a normal person, but he lives a normal life, but also, he names what is obviously wrong.”
“Yes! And not have a bunch of gobbledygook around it … Just talk like normal people talk,” exclaimed Obama.
Instead of focusing on the “rift” within the Democrat base, Obama emphasized the importance of communicating with voters.
“What I’m more interested in for Democrats is: Do you know how to just talk to regular people like we’re not in a college seminar,” he said. “Can you talk plain English to folks?”
Obama also targeted President Donald Trump in the interview, though he did not mention him by name.
When Colbert jokingly suggested he could run for president, Obama, holding back laughter, replied, “The bar has changed.”
“Let’s put it this way: I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen. I have great confidence in that,” the former president remarked, clarifying that his comment was not an endorsement.
Asked what powers he believed a U.S. president should not have, Obama responded that the Justice Department should stay independent from the White House.
The country’s democracy can “survive a lot,” but “we can’t overcome the politicization of the criminal justice system,” the former president explained.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
Be the first to comment