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LeadershipElizabeth Warren

Watch Stephen Colbert press Elizabeth Warren on a potential run for president

Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
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Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 24, 2015, 8:26 AM ET
2012 Massachusetts Democratic Endorsing Convention
SPRINGFIELD, MA - JUNE 2: Elizabeth Warren speaks during the 2012 Massachusetts Democratic Endorsing Convention, held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. (Photo by Aram Boghosian/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)Photograph by Getty Images

If you’re a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” there’s a good chance the host may urge you to run for president.

Two weeks after pleading with Vice President Joe Biden to make a bid for the White House in a surprisingly emotional segment, Colbert on Wednesday night pressed Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren about her own potential run. The first-term Senator and former Harvard Law Professor is known for attacking Wall Street and Washington’s elite while championing the working class. There’s been much speculation that Warren may join the 2016 race as a Democratic candidate, though she has repeatedly denied those suggestions.

During the broadcast, Colbert asked Warren again if she would declare her candidacy: “Are you sure you’re not running for the president of the United States? Have you checked the newspaper lately because a lot of people have jumped in; you may have done it in your sleep,” he said. To which Warren answered, “I’m sure I’m not.”

Colbert then asked the Senator to explain why she’d make a “terrible choice” for president.

Warren sidestepped that question and instead trumpeted her signature line: “The game is rigged,” she said. “Here we are the richest country on earth; we have so much going for us and yet we have a federal government that works great for millionaires, it works great for billionaires, it works great for giant corporations, for anyone who can hire an army of lobbyists and an army of lawyers, give lots of campaign money,” she said. “For the rest of America, it’s just not working, and it’s time for us to take that government back and make it work for us.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9gW3XQ0wZU]

After Warren’s remarks were met with loud applause from the audience, Colbert quipped: “You don’t sound like you’re running for president, I tell you that.”

The “The Late Show” with Colbert as its host debuted on Sept. 8. While the comedian has secured high-profile guests such as GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook, and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, his ratings have landed him behind “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.

About the Author
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
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Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

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