Stephen Colbert: No Regrets for Angry Trump Rant.
CAMEROTA: The "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert responding to criticism over a crude joke that he made about President Trump. Colbert implied that the president was taking part in a sexual act with Russia's Vladimir Putin. That rant, leading to a #firecolbert hashtag and calls for a boycott of his show. So, here's what Colbert said last night.</s>STEPHEN COLBERT, "LATE SHOW" HOST: Folks, if you saw my monologue on Monday, you know that I was a little upset with Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine. So, at the end of that monologue, I had a few choice insults for the president in return. I don't regret that.</s>CAMEROTA: OK. Let's discuss this with CNN media analyst Bill Garter and CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES", Brian Stelter. Great to see both of you. Well, first of all, you know, look, I love Stephen Colbert. I know we all do.</s>BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: However, I found this statement a little bit peculiar because President Trump didn't actually insult John Dickerson. He gave him a dismissive -- he dismissed him, as presidents do when they don't like a journalist's question. So, that wasn't anything unusual, I think.</s>CARTER: No, it wasn't over the top.</s>BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: He also likes to call Dickerson's show "Face the Nation" "deface the nation".</s>CARTER: "Deface the nation".</s>STELTER: Which I would say is insulting.</s>CAMEROTA: OK. You're right. That is insulting. But in terms of what he directly did to John Dickerson. But furthermore, do you think, Brian, that it warranted such a crude joke on national television?</s>STELTER: I am surprised this joke made it on out of the writer's room. I'm surprised it made it on to the broadcast. I thought Colbert was sort of trying to have it both ways there telling his fans "I don't regret it," but, but, but yes, the words were too crude. That's a bit of an admission maybe designed to make this go away. Remember, this happened on Monday night on this show. Tuesday, this was ripping through conservative media. It wasn't until Wednesday that he actually addressed it amid this #firecolbert hashtag.</s>CARTER: I think what one thing I'd say, Colbert worked in cable for a long time. They did this every night on cable.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes. But network is different.</s>CARTER: They made jokes every night. It's different. It's very different. They have broadcast licenses. They are more responsible. They could be called on the carpet for it.</s>CAMEROTA: That was vulgar. That was high level --</s>CARTER: It was. It was a very vulgar joke. Obviously, it's something that his audience that loves him doesn't mind, but other people can use it against them, and so it became sort of a weapon for them to strike against the guy they don't like. I don't think it has any impact.</s>STELTER: Right. A lot of it is tribal.</s>CARTER: It's tribal. You can see from his fans, he makes a joke -- I don't have any regrets, his fans cheer like crazy. So, it's not going to impact him that way with his fans. It's pointless for them to say, oh, he should be fired. That's all pointless. But I do think it will make him think more in the future maybe about this is a network show. You can't go quite the same.</s>CUOMO: What if he had been removed? I mean, that's why, you know, you may like the joke. You may not like the joke, but he has every right to tell the joke. If he didn't, even on the broadcast side, if he didn't offend one of the FCC guidelines, then he can say whatever he wants.</s>CAMEROTA: It does offend the</s>FCC. CUOMO: We haven't heard that. You may think that.</s>CAMEROTA: There are certain rules.</s>CARTER: There are, but the word was bleeped.</s>CUOMO: The word was bleeped.</s>CAMEROTA: Then it's OK.</s>STELTER: Let's give some credit to the Republican FCC chairman who was asked about this, who said, it's a free country, he can say whatever he wants, as long as he didn't violate those decency standards.</s>CUOMO: That's right.</s>STELTER: He can say whatever he wants.</s>CAMEROTA: If it weren't bleeped, it would have violated it, but it was bleeped.</s>CUOMO: That's right. That's the whole point. So, you can judge it. I like it, I don't like it. That's fine. If he had been removed, I think you have an issue with it. Just so we don't go through it too fast, you guys are applying a Trump standard to how he treated John Dickerson.</s>STELTER: Wait, what's the Trump standard?</s>CUOMO: A lower standard than normal. I have interviewed a number of presidents. I have never seen a president do what he did to John Dickerson. Never.</s>CAMEROTA: Walk away?</s>CUOMO: No. He went that's it, and he goes and sits down when he knows he is on tape. It's his right to do it, but let's not say, oh, that's not over the top. For him, it's not over the top. If President Obama had done that, forget about what you would have heard.</s>STELTER: That's the subtext of this entire conversation. This entire country is trying to figure out what the heck to do, how to talk about this president, how to cover this president as journalist, about how to joke about this president as comedians. There's a sense in we're in very unusual times, and we're seeing comedians go further than they would have gone with other presidents. Now, we can debate all day how high the bar should be for respect and civility. I think we would all agree we want it to be high, and, yet, as you said, they're cheering. His fans are cheering.</s>CARTER: That's right.</s>CUOMO: And also, you have a lot of people who disagree with the notion about keeping the bar high. A lot of people want the bar low, and they're saying I don't respect the office, I don't respect the man. I mean, it's --</s>CARTER: But it has worked for Colbert. Colbert has done nonstop attack on --</s>CUOMO: Right.</s>CAMEROTA: And his ratings have gone up as a result.</s>CARTER: Exactly. He has found a voice, and it's because the country is extremely anxious about what's going on in this administration. There is a level of anxiety in the country, and they are responding to this kind of humor like I've never seen.</s>CUOMO: They're now the ignored majority, right? We talk about Trump. The Trump panel voters. We don't have the non-Trump panel voters that are majority of this country, you know, and they're watching these shows and they are sending us messages, saying, why are you always talking about Trump folk? Why aren't you talking about us? The majority of the country is against him. So, Colbert is dealing with the majority when he's talking about Trump.</s>STELTER: I'm with Sean Hannity on this one. Hannity, and, by the way, I never said those words before.</s>CAMEROTA: Wow!</s>CARTER: Yes.</s>STELTER: Hannity said, I don't support any kind of boycott because that's what the left is trying to do right now to people like Ann Coulter. Let's not try to shut down anybody's right to speak --</s>CUOMO: Good for him.</s>STELTER: -- in this country.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes, yes, look. Agreed. But you know, obviously, good judgment goes along with that.</s>CARTER: It does.</s>CAMEROTA: So, there's always the balance that were always forever trying to rise --</s>CAMEROTA: Indeed. Thank you, gentlemen, very much. And thanks to our international viewers for watching. For you, "CNN NEWSROOM" is next. NEW DAY continues right now.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. We do begin start with breaking news. There's a big announcement from the royal family. Prince Philip, the husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, is retiring from public life.