CBS anchor chokes up discussing how he'd explain Trump's victory to his children on 'Colbert' show
CBS News anchor John Dickerson got emotional as he grappled with President-elect Trump's historic victory in Tuesday's election during his appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
Dickerson, who CBS News tapped to co-anchor "CBS Evening News" following Norah O'Donnell's forthcoming exit, was confronted by host Stephen Colbert, who recalled having to explain to his "mystified" 14-year-old son how Trump won the 2016 election.
"How would you explain that to a 14-year-old today? How would you explain this election?" Colbert asked.
"I'll try not to think about my boys because," Dickerson said before choking up.
After a brief pause, he regained his composure.
"I think the way you would explain it is this- you'd obviously not go into all the complexities of things but I think you would say that, you know, amazing things have been done through the American political system," Dickerson said. "People have been given freedoms that they were denied, and glorious opportunities in this country that you can't get anywhere else. And then awful things have happened in the American system, and you have to fight to make sure that that you're doing the good part and not the bad part. And that requires everybody to do their part."
"And when people choose to do their part in the system, they can get on basically one of two busses that are going to take them to a destination they think is meaningful," he continued. "You get on the bus, and there are a whole bunch of the people on the bus who just want to be seen and have opportunity in American life, and then there are other people on the bus engaged in the same journey who were there absolutely just for themselves, to get power, to give themselves just more riches and more control over things. And that's true no matter what bus you get on, but you, 14-year-old child, want to be associated with the people who want to use the political system to help themselves and others like them live a life of opportunity."
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"And you know what happens is if you succeed in doing that, the success of your endeavor will in part being recognizing that the other bus that didn't make it had other people on it just like you who want to feel seen and who right now don't feel seen because they lost, and you got to think about them too," Dickerson added.
CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Much of the legacy media were shocked by Trump's landslide victory against Vice President Kamala Harris, winning in both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
The liberal late-night hosts also had a tough time accepting the election results, including Colbert.
"Hey there, how are you doing? If you watch this show regularly, I’m guessing you’re not doing great. Yeah, me neither." Colbert began his show Wednesday night.
Later in his monologue, the liberal comedian shamed the majority of Americans who backed Trump in the election.
"I wish, you wish, so many of us wish this hadn't happen, but that's not for us to decide. This is a democracy.. And in this democracy, the majority has spoken, and they said they don’t care that much about democracy," Colbert told his far-left audience.