Obama criticized Trump without ever mentioning him by name: 5 notable moments from the 44th president's interview

Stephen Colbert's interview with 44th US President Barack Obama was recorded in early April at the Obama Presidential Center, which was under construction on Chicago's South Side. It aired on May 5 on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The most interesting moments of the conversation are written by The New York Times.

Late-night talk show hosts are facing pressure from President Trump and the Federal Communications Commission, which accuses such programs of left-wing bias—both in their jokes and in their guest selection. But that didn't stop Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with 44th US President Barack Obama on the evening of May 5, even though Colbert's canceled CBS show is preparing to air its final time this month.

Obama used the interview to criticize Trump, though he never mentioned him by name. He urged Democrats not to sound like university lecturers when addressing voters. He also talked about aliens.

On the subject: Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden shared why they are hopeful about America's future.

Running for President? "The Bar Has Changed"

Trump wasn't mentioned directly in the interview, but Obama made a number of clear attacks on the current president and his administration. After Colbert jokingly mentioned the possibility of a presidential run, Obama made it clear the idea wasn't so far-fetched.

"The bar has changed," he said, holding back a laugh. "I'll put it this way: I think you could do this job significantly better than the people we've seen so far. I'm absolutely certain of that."

Colbert asked, "Is this support?"

"No," Obama replied.

Advice to Democrats: Speak 'plain English'

At a time when many Democrats are concerned about the party's lack of leadership and internal divisions that are preventing them from effectively confronting the Trump administration, Obama expressed confidence that most Democrats remain united on their core principles.

"I'm not too concerned about this so-called split," Obama told Colbert.

"There are many things we agree on," he said. "The question is rather what specific steps need to be taken."

According to the 44th US President, he is more concerned about how the party talks to voters.

"What I'm more interested in is this: Can Democrats talk to ordinary people like they're not sitting in a university seminar?" Obama asked. "Can you talk to people in layman's terms?"

Mamdani and the rejection of "highbrow chatter"

Obama cited New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as an example—a democratic socialist whose political views lie significantly to the left of Obama's own, but whom the 44th US president supports and considers an effective communicator. According to Obama, successful Democrats like Mamdani shouldn't speak in "high-brow gibberish."

Obama called him "an exceptionally talented man."

Concerns about the Justice Department

Obama also appeared to outline several specific concerns about a second Trump term.

Responding to Colbert's question about what powers he believed the US president should not have, Obama said the Justice Department should remain independent from the White House and not be used as a tool to persecute political opponents.

According to the 44th President of the United States, American democracy "can survive a lot," but "it cannot survive the politicization of the criminal justice system."

Without directly naming Trump, who during his second term used the Justice Department against those he considers his enemies, Obama said the department's head should be able to act independently of the president's whims.

"The point is that the head of the Justice Department is the people's lawyer, not the president's personal adviser," Obama emphasized.

In his view, it's important that presidents "not politicize the military" and that they not have "a ton of side businesses." Trump has mixed party politics with his role as commander-in-chief, and his family and allies have retained or acquired stakes in industries subject to government regulation.

…And about aliens

When Colbert pressed him on whether the government was hiding information about extraterrestrial life, a laughing Obama assured him it was not.

Obama, who recently made headlines for telling podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen that aliens are "real," told Colbert that his claims weren't based on any classified government information. If such secrets actually existed, the 44th US president asserted, the information would have leaked long ago.

"When you're president, you realize that government is very bad at keeping secrets," Obama concluded.

He then added, "If there were aliens, alien spaceships, or anything else under the control of the US government that was known to the authorities (photos, evidence, etc.), I assure you, some guy guarding the facility would have already taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend."

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After the interview aired, White House spokesman Davis Ingle issued a statement insulting Obama and Colbert: "Only pathetic walking disasters like Stephen Colbert would waste their time interviewing one of the worst presidents in history."

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