Former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki joined CBS’s Stephen Colbert on The Late Show on Wednesday for three segments full of loathing President Trump and his “fire hose of dirty water” and “do-nothing Democrats” like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Colbert quipped, “Let's talk about just yesterday was Trump's 100th day in office; how did you celebrate?”
Psaki mourned, “I mean, I just covered my eyes, pretended it never happened. No, I did not do that. Look, I, most days, I don't know if you feel this way, I know that you are a big observer of the news, explainer of the news, most of the time I feel like I am drinking from a fire hose of dirty water. Like, I feel, so overwhelming and the last 100 days have felt that way.”
After further lamentations about the administration’s “flooding the zone” strategy, Colbert cited one of his favorite guests, “Throw so many things over the plate you don't know what to swing at. And it’s kind of successful, because there’s so many things are happening at once. I believe Elizabeth Warren, for the 100th day, put out 100 corrupt things Trump has done since he has taken office. And some of the things I don't know about, and I do my best to pay attention.”
It should be said that many of the things on Warren’s list are just things about Trump she disagrees with. For example, several of her bullet points are just cabinet, ambassadorial, or other government appointees.
Later, the duo approached the topic of Trump’s relationship with the media, with Colbert wondering, “Are you worried about journalists caving to the pressure of the Trump Administration, and denying the public the truth that they need to hear?”
Psaki replied she was, but had to twist recent White House press changes to do it, “Yes. I mean, first of all, when you're kicking out the AP and Bloomberg and Reuters, I mean, these are reporters asking things like 'What do you say about the bond market? What about these ceasefire negotiations?' They’re not gotcha questions. They are there to cover the actual news policymaking happening in any administration.”
Nobody’s been kicked out; they’ve just been placed in a rotation. With no self-awareness of what MSNBC is like on a daily basis, Psaki rolled on, “What happens is stories are killed, voices aren't invited on, stories are muted, they're watered down. We have seen this happen recently. We don't know all of the details behind the scenes with 60 Minutes, but the resignation of—with Bill Owens resigning is a significant statement of what they felt they were experiencing on one of the nation’s—”
Colbert also sought Psaki’s opinion on the woman who currently holds her old job, “You had confrontational press when you were the press secretary, you see Karoline Leavitt up there doing her thing. First of all, not an easy job for someone that young… What do you think she’s doing so far?”
The idea that Psaki had a similar “confrontational press” aside, Psaki condemned Leavitt, “She is serving one person, he selected her for that reason. She is using the room, but what she’s not doing is using it as a room to provide accurate information to the public, using it as a room to be a defender, and an advocate for the need to do that.”
Colbert then moved onto the state of the Democratic Party, “You wrote a book called Say More: Communicating at Work, at Home, and in the World. What are the Democrats' biggest communication problems right now? What are they not doing?”
For Psaki, the problem isn’t that Democrats have gone too far left, but rather, it’s a simple messaging problem, “Well, I think what’s pretty clear is not enough of them are fighting, far too many are still relying on the old tactics of ever yore.”
A sarcastic Colbert interrupted, “But Chuck Schumer, he wrote a very strong letter.” Psaki also got in on the sarcasm, “With eight strongly worded questions,” to which Colbert added, “What more can you ask of a leader?”
Eventually, Colbert turned to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, “What’d you make of Prtizker’s speech?”
Psaki was a big fan:
He was incredibly powerful and strong. The message he was sending was, ‘I’m a fighter. I'm going to say the things. I will call out the ‘do-nothing Democrats’,’ his words, not my words. He’s going to call out what he is seeing in the Trump Administration and I think what we are seeing right now is that there is a divide, basically. There are people who are out there doing stuff and by doing stuff I mean that it can be anything, go lead a protest, go to a red state, go hold a town hall, go to El Salvador. Whatever it may be, do stuff, people want to see you're fighting and doing things. If Democrats will rely on the tactics of old, they will lose, and so hopefully more people come onto the fighting side.
Pritzker’s definition of “doing things” is to go on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday and continue ranting into the echo chamber and claim that Democrats’ road back to power is to double down and simply bang the pots and pans a little louder.
Here is a transcript for the April 30-taped show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
5/1/2025
12:07 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: Let's talk about just yesterday was Trump's 100th day in office; how did you celebrate?
JEN PSAKI: I mean, I just covered my eyes, pretended it never happened. No, I did not do that. Look, I, most days, I don't know if you feel this way, I know that you are a big observer of the news, explainer of the news—
COLBERT: Yes.
PSAKI: -- Most of the time I feel like I am drinking from a fire hose of dirty water. Like, I feel, so overwhelming and the last 100 days have felt that way.
COLBERT: That’s part of the plan, isn't it?
PSAKI: That’s part of the plan.
COLBERT: What’s the term? Flooding the zone.
PSAKI: They literally say this out loud.
COLBERT: They’re flooding the zone.
PSAKI: They tell us all.
COLBERT: Yeah.
PSAKI: We’re going to flood the zone so you can't pay attention to what we are doing behind the scenes which is quite telling.
COLBERT: Right. Throw so many things over the plate you don't know what to swing at.
PSAKI: Exactly. Exactly.
COLBERT: And it’s kind of successful, because there’s so many things are happening at once, I believe Elizabeth Warren, for 100th day put out 100 corrupt things Trump has done since he has taken office. And some of the things I don't know about, and I do my best to pay attention.
…
COLBERT: Are you worried about journalists caving to the pressure of the Trump Administration, and denying the public the truth that they need to hear?
PSAKI: Yes. I mean, first of all, when you're kicking out the AP and Bloomberg and Reuters, I mean, these are reporters asking things like “What do you say about the bond market? What about these ceasefire negotiations?” They’re not gotcha questions. They are there to cover the actual news policymaking happening in any administration.
And here's why I am very concerned, because I think, while I am newly on the media side of things, I've worked with media for more than two decades. What-- where the decisions are made are often behind the scenes. So, there is no media organization or outlet or reporter who's going to say, “we are going to obey an advance now.”
That's not how it is going to work. What happens is stories are killed, voices aren't invited on, stories are muted, they're watered down. We have seen this happen recently. We don't know all of the details behind the scenes with 60 Minutes, but the resignation of—with Bill Owens resigning is a significant statement of what they felt they were experiencing on one of the nation’s—.
…
COLBERT: You had confrontational press when you were the press secretary, you see Karoline Leavitt up there doing her thing. First of all, not an easy job—
PSKAKI: No.
COLBERT: -- for someone that young.
PSAKI: For anyone, but yes, for sure.
COLBERT: For anyone, but the older you get, the thicker your skin gets.
PSAKI: That’s true.
COLBERT: What do you think she’s doing so far?
PSAKI: She is serving one person, he selected her for that reason. She is using the room, but what she’s not doing is using it as a room to provide accurate information to the public, using it as a room to be a defender, and an advocate for the need to do that.
COLBERT: And are you prepared for when she attacks you for saying that.
PSAKI: I am. It's okay. Come on down.
COLBERT: Okay, great. So, again, you have used your experience as a communications professional. You wrote a book called Say More: Communicating at Work, at Home, and in the World. What are the Democrats’ biggest communication problems right now? What are they not doing?
PSAKI: Well, I think what’s pretty clear is not enough of them are fighting, far too many are still relying on the old tactics—
COLBERT: Yeah.
PSAKI: -- of ever lore.
COLBERT: But Chuck Schumer, he wrote a very strong letter.
PSAKI: With eight strongly worded questions.
COLBERT: What more can you ask of a leader?
PSAKI: You left out that part.
COLBERT: That’s exactly right.
PSAKI: If that’s not going to make you shake in your boots, what is?
COLBERT: What’d you make of Prtizker’s speech?
PSAKI: I thought JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois, I thought it was--there are some JB Pritzker fans here.
COLBERT: Sure.
PSAKI: He was incredibly powerful and strong. The message he was sending was, “I’m a fighter. I'm going to say the things. I will call out the ‘do-nothing Democrats’,” his words, not my words. He’s going to call out what he is seeing in the Trump Administration and I think what we are seeing right now is that there is a divide, basically. There are people who are out there doing stuff and by doing stuff I mean that it can be anything, go lead a protest, go to a red state, go hold a town hall, go to El Salvador. Whatever it may be, do stuff, people want to see you're fighting and doing things. If Democrats will rely on the tactics of old, they will lose, and so hopefully more people come onto the fighting side.
