Stephen Colbert's audience erupted into laughter after the late-night host said CNN was an "objective" news outlet.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins was the guest during Tuesday's broadcast of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The late-night host introduced Collins to the audience and said he spent most nights watching her program The Source with Kaitlan Collins.
Collins discussed her experience reporting on last month's Republican National Convention (RNC) and said Republicans "felt like they were walking into a victory for this November."
"It's safe to say I think [if] it was being held this week it would be different," Collins said, addressing a surge in support for Vice President Kamala Harris' recently launched presidential campaign.
The CNN host went on to say that former President Donald Trump was unsure of how to campaign against Harris after Biden's exit from the 2024 race last month.
"[Trump] knew his attack lines on President Biden," Collins said. "He really has struggled with how to go after someone who's 20 years younger than him, different gender, different race."
Collins said Trump had struggled to "coalesce around a single attack line" against Harris.
"I know you guys are objective over there, that you just report the news as it is," Colbert said of Collins and CNN, prompting the audience to erupt with laughter. NEW: Audience starts cracking up after a serious Stephen Colbert tells CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that CNN “just reports the news as it is.”
Remarkable.
Colbert: “I know you guys are objective over [at CNN], you just report the news as it is.”
Audience: *Laughs hysterically*… pic.twitter.com/9R8iv2UXeN
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 13, 2024
"Is that supposed to be a laugh line?" Collins asked.
"It wasn't supposed to be, but I guess it is," Colbert coyly responded.
The late-night host said he knew Collins and other media personalities had their own opinions on politics and asked if CNN was surprised about Biden ending his re-election campaign.
"I don't think it took us by surprise," Collins responded. "I think as a political reporter, the way to be smart and have a long career is you don't make bets or assumptions. You just follow the story as it happens."
Collins conceded there were signs pointing toward Biden's exit from the race, though said the president was "quite stubborn."
"He often feels he's right and other people try to convince him of something and so he will stick it out a little longer than maybe someone else would," she said, though added she was surprised Biden made his announcement on X. "Normally, he would call people to the Oval Office or have a press conference, but he was home sick dealing with Covid still."
"All of our reporting had been basically forgot," Collins said.
Collins went on to recount calling Trump for his reaction to the news while in an Uber.
"The Uber driver is like turning around. He's like so confused. He's looking at me, he's looking at my phone, he's like, 'Is that whose voice I think that is?'" Collins said, adding she made sure to tip the driver for the confusion.
