Colbert grills Bolton as 'naive,' asks how he didn't know Trump is 'just callow'

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton faced a formidable interview opponent on The Late Show this week.

Bolton's latest TV appearance to promote his new book was on Stephen Colbert's Late Show on Tuesday, and it was far from a softball interview, with Colbert grilling Bolton and at numerous points laughing out loud at his answers.

Bolton's statement, for example, that many Republicans back President Trump because he won't be subject "to the pressure of the left" like his Democratic alternative, Colbert immediately chuckled, interjecting, "No, he's going to be subject to the pressure of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping!"

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From there, Colbert said it's "exasperating" that Bolton, who has published a tell-all book about his time in the White House, is expressing surprise at the behavior from Trump he alleges he witnessed, asking, "How did you not know beforehand that he was just callow?"

"Because I couldn't believe it was that bad," Bolton responded, an answer that earned another huge laugh from Colbert, who questioned how Bolton could be "naive" like this. Bolton shot back, "You've really insulted me now by calling me naive."

Watch a portion of the tough interview below. Brendan Morrow