Full Extended Interview: Joe Biden Talks To Stephen Colbert

[Music] [Music] jeesus a human right there everybody give it up for the band President Obama has called him a line of American history I'm always honored to call him my guest please welcome Vice President Joe Biden [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] mr. vice president thank you so much thank you for being here for the beat Joe Biden everything nice to see you again now not be a good time to leave thank you very much well a listen I I'm just curious to start off here why aren't you off kitesurfing someplace literally I just spoke to the president five minutes ago and he said backstage yeah he's a surprise guest he'll be out in a minute no no he called he said he was watching today and he said let's get a little too cold for golf Joe so I think kitesurfers out well you and you have been you have been a busy man you have expressed a few opinions about the president administration openly that the president has not yet has not yet Donald Trump is the president in itíd States spoiler alert and the last time you were here was in December after President Trump had was president elect him before he been inaugurated and you said at the time well we're gonna give this guy an even shot we're gonna give him a clear shot to do the job have we given him enough of a shot at this point look there are there are certain things that when they occur you just can't remain silent and Charlottesville for me was a moment where I thought silence would be complicity I mean for real and so I wrote an article for Atlantic and talking about we're in we're in a battle for the soul of the country and the idea that you would see in America in a historic City Nazis carrying flags spouting the same exact pile about Jews that was spouted in Germany in the 30s and and then they caught these guys crawling out from under rocks with torches and and and and and to not have an outright flat condemnation of that is you know what look David Brooks talks about this invisible moral fabric that holds up society and leaders impact on how that is perceived and and I thought the silence was what was was deafening and then when the comparison was made to those who were protesting that I found it reprehensible so I couldn't remain silent anymore it was just such a it goes to the soul of the country and but in terms of specific policies I take some issue with them but you know that's much less consequential to me then what's happening to to the dialog in the country it's just reich's me what makes my eye twitch constantly is the idea that we are lowering standards of behavior for a position that is essentially at its heart as FDR said is a position of moral leadership it look it is a position of moral leadership and you know what leaders say matter they can need to lead a country in the direction of inclusiveness and and embracing other people in dignity or or this you know Bannon and the alt-right and I mean you when you're silent you give these people room to come out of the dark and and and I mean literally our children are listening our children are listening and it's just it's just wrong and so on certain things that go to the heart of who we are as Americans I just I just I just can't remain silent and it's it's not just the president it's it's it's the it's it's all that surrounds this and Bannen and they all right I find to be reprehensible I mean the the inability to condemn hate [Music] do you think that this has grown under the candidacy of President Trump and his presidency or this was there and it was an invitation to come out of the shadows I think it's a little bit of both I think there has been a gradual coercing of American politics and it's been it's been incremental but I think what happened was that with the the appeal the direct appeal being made to sort of the fringe of society that is represented by ban and an embracing ban and bring him into administration it was like taking the blinders off and say okay man anything's good now anything's good and and I just find it look I believe if the president today stood up and made a major speech condemning what is what is seeping in the society trying to reweave this moral fabric beginning to treat people with dignity I I think I think he I think you could change the environment that's not who we are I mean it's not who we are as a people one of the things one of the things that many people said when a president Trump was elected that we have to hold on to certain standards and we cannot normalize the the behavior that that got president Trump elected but on another level whoever is the president is you know de-facto presidential what do you think has changed about the presidency with him being president how will this come how will this in how will this influence future presidencies I think it will God willing will go down as the single exception in American history I think I think that a lot of the folks in the audience my guess is when the president was elected and the people he gathered around him the political people who gathered around him came into play you kind of thought it was well maybe it's amusing or a little bit you know embarrassing sometimes but it wasn't it didn't go to the heart of who we were but all they eight to five and I was speaking to a large crowd of Republican audience out in Thousand Oaks California and that's the same question said how many you are now worried about the stability of the Republic how many you are now worried about this new phoney nationalism it's us against them how many are worried about this populism that is designed to essentially undermine the essence of the Bill of Rights which is their certain inalienable rights that nobody no matter what the majority is they cannot overrule I mean I just think there's an attack on the system I think and by the way and it goes beyond President Trump in in my view it's I just think it's a look but for seventy four thousand five hundred votes through their butts we wouldn't be having this conversation we'd have a good president we have a president who who understands the role of the presidency she would have been somebody who would in fact you know what weave that fabric well I see the only point I'm making is we're talking about like this was a wave election and somehow only he is only he's talking like that nobody said I could have in biggest electoral victory of our town of all time Joe of all time I'm sorry your lady lost at the biggest of all time well I golf I play golf with all kinds of that disturbing history never call you does he call you he ever called you know but but but I do speak to vice president pence well let's talk about well we talked about you know he's asked my view on a number of issues that I spent a lot of time and dealing with foreign policy and I had responsibility for certain chunks of the world and and he is you know I've let him know on in a security setting and what I thought they should look out for what I thought the the landmines were what I was like I'm going to Spain what do I need to know about well no I don't know but well not directly like that but but we fell into a country where they speak Spanish he look he is a a traditional sort of conservative Republican on foreign policy and what I what I was worried about is that certain things to the front end of the administration would happen that that would generate or by their silence would generate actions that would cause us some real problems for example there was an awful lot of talk about whether or not we were gonna walk away they were gonna walk away from the sanctions against Russia in Ukraine now III don't have any notion whether that was true but what I did know that if in fact he inadvertently the president advertently said something along those lines that would generate the far-right in Ukraine that happens to be in the West to do things that were very counterproductive and would generate Russian response and then the administration might be faced with a serious military concern and so we talk about those things like what would you say would say like make sure he doesn't do that so like no I'll be very say what I said is I my national security staff was in contact with his they're in constant contact with his staff and saying that this leader is worried about this issue this is what we suggest you should be aware of when you talk to him and but for example the first speech he made in Munich which is there's a Munich conference it's a famous conference held once a year where the administration sort of lays out their positions he made a very good speech he pence and because he because nobody stepped up and so it's and by the way you know part of what what this transition is we Jill um I called him and had his wife and he over for for dinner or actually for lunch to let him see the facility they're gonna move in to talk about Secret Service coverage he told me for example his daughter was going on to law school gonna have Secret Service coverage she never had that before was the like so I had my my granddaughter who's a Columbia Law School caller to tell her what it was like having Secret Service all the time so it's just just basic courtesy oh that's nice it's nice know that you guys can communicate and help each other like that well we have to take a little bit of a break but we're right back with more Vice President Joe Biden don't go [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we're back with Vice President Joe Biden now sir I'm gonna ask you right now you cannot be surprised about everybody is asking you this question I think it's an important question Vice President Joe Biden are you willing to name your top three Elton John songs until it happen oh let me see candle blown in the wind all the way and the Philadelphia Story he did you freedom photo for freedom okay great there it is there's the top three I'll ask Elton I'll compare it with his I'll compare it with his well what tells that make yours I'm gonna go with yours the top three now sir you have a new book it is called promise me dad it goes on sale tomorrow and it is about your son Beau and your relationship with him what he meant to your family what he meant to our country and what does the title mean what was the promise you made him the promise I made him beau was the reason I wrote the book I wanted you all to know what an incredible I sound like a father would say I'm an incredible man my son was and and secondly I wanted to give people hope that there is through purpose you can find your way through grief and that's the purpose of the book and so when he said we were having a conversation and beau was very emphatic he didn't want anybody to know how desperate his circumstance was and so he'd say dad look when they mentioned me smiled dad smile tell him everything's okay and then he'd say to me well after dinner one night at his home he said dad I got to talk to you and we sat with his wife for the taste of that I know no one loves me more than you and he said but Dad I'm gonna be alright no matter what happens but you got to promise me dad promise me you're gonna be okay what he meant by that was he knows that my whole life that I satisfied me like him has been devoted to trying to deal with the things I think we can make make the country in the world better and he was worried that what I was gonna do out of grief was I was gonna turn inward I'd take care of the family but that I would I would I would step back from all the things that I had devoted my my life to and and so that that was the promise promise me dad you're gonna stay engaged it wasn't promise me dad you're gonna run for president which a lot of people are try no don't really mean it because he didn't want me to run for it but that wasn't the promise Barak asked me the president asked me at lunch one day when beau was sick he said what do you want to do with the rest of your life and I said I want to do what I've done the same answer I would have given you when I was 29 when I was 39 and my age right now I want to make a difference and I think I can't and so but we talked about this Steven you understand this better than most anybody he wanted me to stay engaged not I wasn't about running for president was about staying engaged so I had a great opportunity when I when I got out of office all the people had I run before he got sick and had I won the very people I'd have run in the State Department the Defense Department and a security apparatus are now with me at the University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania is give me a significant amount of money to hire staff the University of Delaware's done the same thing over a couple million bucks I have first-rate staff people and I'm continued to a group of Nobel laureates along with guys the heads of major hospitals like its Sloan another play Sloan Kettering came to me and said would you keep the Biden cancer initiative going because there's not as much happening now and so it's all about purpose and I find it for me and for Jill and for Hunter and my daughter Ashley look when you and I had one of the most and presumptions me to say this but I feel like I know he because the last show we had I think it went a direction neither of us expected it to go and and when I got home hunter said dad there was a great you were good you and mr. Colbert were great he said but look here's the deal dad let's focus on not Bo's loss let's focus on both promise what it is Bo would be doing we're here now and for me that that's the promise and I want Bo to be proud of me I want him to be proud that I'm doing what I've always done and I promised him I would try to do well [Music] you you you said that you want the book to be a opportunity for people to see some hope through their grief and you know grief grief can grief turns the the shock the tragedy and turn into wisdom you know what you can learn from your grief and what you can experience as a fellow human being everybody experiences grief but what we need is people around us who love us to help us through our grief but sadly when you lose someone you love so much as you do your son no one could have helped you more than him but you know I think that's absolutely true but I bet every one of you look think of all the people the day that got up this morning didn't have any help at all lost somebody they desperately desperately desperately miss and they get up every day and they put one foot in front of the other and they go on and they move they keep going and I think what they do at least would I think works is they internalize both still with me by I hear his voice I I you know it's a it's it's a constant reassurance and it's a constant push and you know and you talk back to him well I do actually I'm not I know it sounds silly but you know it's a little bit like when you were kid you know yeah you want to make sure are you living up to your expectations of your mom or your dad for me I started looking up to my boys when they were in their teens it's a strange thing but after they lost their mom and dad I mean their mom and their sister I was the only one around and and and they they became sort of the ballasts for me and they kind of helped raise me and so it's always been one of these things where I don't know when I started looking up to them it's probably when they're 14 or 15 I'd find out you know there was a there was a couple in the neighborhood got killed left two little boys I find my boys are going over and talking to them and tell them what it's going to be like I found my boys doing so many things that were just so kind of way above their or their years and and so Bo I ask myself just like you probably ask yourself well what would your mother want you to do not not a joke I mean you ask yourself those questions so for me it's like what well they're Bo want me doing now what would Bo be doing if you were here and and that's the that's the piece of I know he's still with me I know he's still in me and I look at his son and I see my bow I look at his brother I see Bo I look at his sister I see Bo so I'm lucky that I have so much that's alive and healthy and vibrant that reminds me of him and and and and and and and it gives you purpose and I find that the only way I was able to get through it last time was to have a sense of purpose and to do something that I think that then knee Lia and my daughter would be proud of me and now the ball would be proud of me when with the purpose that you felt the purpose that you felt for to raise your two boys hunter and bow after your wife Emilia and your daughter Naomi died is as a natural one father to love their boys to be strong to give them the love they need when if you don't mind me asking if this isn't too personal when beau died did you have to revisit your grief over your wife and your daughter because part of that purpose now was gone and in some ways they left again because beau was gone no because I looked at my I look at my two grandchildren you know I looked at my little hunter and say Papa tell me more stories about daddy they're a pop you know you love love the light down in the summer when I'm gonna be at the pool why much I said you smell like daddy pop or you know my my my granddaughter talking about pop you're not going away are you pop and you know and and and and that's why my son Hunter stepped in to try to help raise them my daughter and but there it's look this is I've been really really lucky I've got a family that is that that is it's just woven together in a way that we haven't expressed in our family my sister is here today with me I attributed to her if you have to ask it's too late if you have to ask for help it's too late you just know and so there's so much out there that's still for example we're going to Thanksgiving and I get all five my grandchildren I get them again with Jill's do you know I really mean it no I'm serious it's amazing here in just a moment but talking to you is always enjoyable because you are willing to share in your humanity warts and all because grief is something that nobody wants to face no one wants to invite it but eventually it comes for everyone and it's the one shared thing no matter what your beliefs are what your religion is whatever political positions are Republicans Democrats independents and I think one of the reasons why people you know two years ago when we had you on the show would have been very happy if you ran for president is they want someone who shares their humanity and can unite people about common values now I'm not gonna ask you if you're gonna run for president because I know you're not gonna give me an answer but and are you gonna run for president you're not gonna give me an answer no III almost a god don't look anybody's been through this how many of you lost someone close to you raise your hand were you ready to make a decision about a fundamental change in your life immediately after that or shortly after it's been two years I'm just not I'm just I want to focus on Bo and my grandkids and and you know we'll see where it where it goes but I am well the country has never been more divided we need a unifier who do you like in the Democratic field or the Republican field who do you think in 2020 he'll that person has a hope of uniting people well I think you're seeing that reemerge I think there are a number of people a Democratic Party I'm not going to start name Wrangham leave somebody out but but but we have some really talented relatively new people and just remember no one knew who Bill Clinton was till about 15 months before he ran before the general election no one knew who Barak they knew the speech but they didn't have any idea of his presidential aspirations till about a year and a half out so this is really early in the game this is really early in the game and you're already seeing what's happened now in my party is you've seen the surge of a lot of younger women particularly in men who are getting engaged said enough had enough this last election I think was a wave election all the way from Washington State to Maine to the Upper Peninsula to Florida all sending the same message that we've had enough of this god-awful division and I think people are I think it's gotten gotten bad enough that people are now getting engaged again kind of like my generation when I was in high school and early days of college the war in Vietnam and was like well drop out go to haight-ashbury don't trust him but over thirty but it got to the point it got to the point in late 70s when I was like hey man this enough we got to change this and our generation changed it I walked across that stage in 68 F Bobby Kennedy my only hero was killed that same day and said I can be part of fundamentally change in the country that's happening now you're going to see so many today thank you so much for being here promised me dad is on sale tomorrow Joe Biden everybody [Music] you [Music]

Channel: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Views: 6,477,600

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Id: ls31TkGSQGA

Length: 27min 7sec (1627 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 14 2017