From the early 1980s until 2015, host David Letterman had the opportunity to welcome several politicians on his shows, “Late Night” and “Late Show,” including multiple interactions with Donald Trump.
While the two have shared a series of laughs and jokes over the years, Letterman recently referred to the presidential candidate as “a damaged human being” and “a person to be shunned,” according to The New York Times.
Letterman said he thought Trump was exactly what New York City needed, “the big, blowhard billionaire.”
He said no one took Trump seriously and because of their comical relationship, he often made a great guest on “Late Show.”
“I would make fun of his hair, I would call him a slumlord, I would make fun of his ties. And he could just take a punch like nothing,” said Letterman in the New York Times interview.
Once Trump was considered a serious presidential candidate, and began making what many call “offensive statements,” Letterman took a second look.
“Right out of the box, he goes after immigrants and how they’re drug dealers and they’re rapists. And everybody swallows hard,” said Letterman.
He continued, “I can remember him doing an impression, behind a podium, of a reporter for The New York Times who has a congenital disorder. And then I thought, if this was somebody else — if this was a member of your family or a next-door neighbor, a guy at work — you would immediately distance yourself from that person. And that’s what I thought would happen. Because if you can do that in a national forum, that says to me that you are a damaged human being. If you can do that, and not apologize, you’re a person to be shunned.”
Letterman said if he had the chance to address Trump as a show guest today, he “would have gone right after him.”
“Hey, nice to see you. Now, let me ask you: what gives you the right to make fun of a human who is less fortunate, physically, than you are?”
