Stephen Colbert Skewers Dems’ Dissent During Trump Address — But Approved One Act of Protest
Comedian Stephen Colbert had no shortage of material Tuesday night after President Donald Trump’s address to Congress that saw The Late Show host skewer the Democratic opposition’s protests.
During his marathon speech, Trump declared his administration was “just getting started” as he touted his push to shrink the federal workforce, overhaul foreign policy, and escalate a high-stakes trade war. Meanwhile, as Trump spoke, Democratic lawmakers silently held up small placards reading “lies” and “false” in protest – just one of several strategies deployed throughout the night.
After mocking Trump’s speech The Late Show host during the opening monologue of Wednesday’s show, Colbert quickly turned to the opposition’s symbolic gestures: “He barked out one appalling claim after another, but don’t you worry: Democrats are getting ready to fight back with their little paddles.”
He then rolled a clip of Democrats holding up small “False” signs in response to Trump’s more egregious statements.
“That is how you save democracy: by quietly dissenting,” Colbert quipped. “Or bidding on an antique tea set. It was hard to tell what was going on.”
In response, he held up his own paddle, which read: “Try Doing Something.”
“Many women on the Democratic side showed up dressed in fuchsia,” the comedian continued, before delivering the punchline: “It’s the kind of bold protest that says, ‘This is a test print and your magenta cartridge is working.’”
But one Democrat did manage to get Colbert’s seal of approval: Rep. Al Green (D-TX). The congressman was forcibly removed from the chamber after repeatedly shouting, “No mandate!” at Trump.
“Ultimately [Speaker Mike] Johnson called in the sergeant-at-arms to remove the 77-year-old Texas congressman,” Colbert explained, before twisting the knife: “Now, some people have questioned why so much muscle was needed to remove one old man with a cane. But it turns out it was for a serious reason: when security searched him, they found that he had smuggled in a spine.”
Colbert concluded: “In the end, Trump’s first address to Congress was much like his first six weeks: filled with useful lies, and applauded by useless idiots.”
Watch above via CBS.
