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Donald Trump brands Stephen Colbert a 'no-talent guy' after comedian’s crude joke
Donald Trump has branded comedian Stephen Colbert a "no-talent guy" who talks "filthy".
The scathing criticism came a week after the Late Show host made a crude oral sex joke about the president’s relationship with the Russian president.
“You see a no-talent guy like Colbert. There’s nothing funny about what he says. And what he says is filthy. And you have kids watching,” Mr Trump said in an interview with Time magazine.
Colbert angered some viewers with his profanity-tinged tirade on May 1, which will be reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission because of viewer complaints.
Attacking the president, Colbert had joked: "The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c- holster."
“It only builds up my base,” Mr Trump told Time. “It only helps me, people like him. The guy was dying.
“By the way they were going to take him off television, then he started attacking me and he started doing better. But his show was dying. I’ve done his show. … But when I did his show, which by the way was very highly rated. It was high—highest rating. The highest rating he’s ever had.”
Colbert is not the first comedian to be attacked by Mr Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Alec Baldwin for his portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live.
During the interview, Mr Trump also discussed his views on television, saying he thinks CNN’s Chris Cuomo looks like a "chained lunatic" on television and the broadcaster’s Don Lemon is "perhaps the dumbest person in broadcasting".
“I don’t watch CNN. I don’t watch MSNBC,” Mr Trump said, despite tweeting on Wednesday that “the Roger Stone report on CNN is false”.
“It’s an ability I never thought I’d have. I never thought I’d have the ability to say, they’re doing a big story on me on CNN and I won’t watch it. And it’s amazing, it doesn’t matter.”