@PrezBillyJeff and Colbert address taboo topics, social justice

Former President Bill Clinton responds to a question from Stephen Colbert during the closing plenary of the Clinton Global Initiative University conference on Saturday afternoon. The interview was recorded, and will air during Monday's episode of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central

@PrezBillyJeff posted his first tweet Saturday using a Twitter account made for him by comedian/talk show host Stephen Colbert.

The Twitter account with profile “I am President William Jefferson Billy Jeff Rodham Clinton. Stephen Colbert is my BFF.” gained just fewer than 300 followers Saturday during an interview that will be aired on Comedy Central Monday at 10 p.m. CST.

The interview, the content of which is not free for release until it airs on Comedy Central, was followed by a 20-minute Q&A session during which the former president and the syndicated personality fielded student questions about how to get people involved in issues that are largely ignored.

Following a lighthearted student request for him to join his CGI U band as the saxophonist, another student delegate asked Clinton how to get people invested in topics typically considered taboo, such as sex slavery.

“Well I think you have to talk about it,” Clinton said. “Most people don’t know how much sexual slavery there still is in the world today but I think we have to get people who do know and who are more serious about it…to talk more about it.”

Another attendee asked whether Clinton would choose two more terms as president over 16 more global initiative conferences.

“I would rather keep doing what I’m doing because I think that America will have some very good choices for president and I think that except in unusual circumstances is a good thing,” Clinton said.

“That wouldn’t cover me,” he added.

While he noted that people living longer would be a valid reason to consider allowing presidents multiple 2-term stints in office, he said that wouldn’t be for him—but not because he doesn’t consider himself qualified.

“I would personally rather keep on doing what I’m doing for as long as I can possibly do it because I think I have learned how to do it, and I’m not sure anyone else would be doing this. Whereas I’m quite sure there will always be a lot of talented people who are dying to be president of the United States,” Clinton said.

While most of the questions were directed at Clinton, one attendee asked Colbert what his personal commitment to action would be if he were a delegate. Apparently referencing a discussion point from earlier in the show, the attendee said Colbert’s commitment could not be to abolish ATM fees.

“I have a very Dickensian view of charity—widows and starving children,” Colbert said. “I don’t know how to apply technology to that, but people who have no one to care for them. There are so many people, whether it’s sexual slavery, whether it’s—there are people who are abandoned. Abandoned people, individuals.”

“It would be something with child poverty or availability of food around the world,” he said.

Sign up for the email edition

Stay up to date with everything happening at Washington University and beyond.

Subscribe