Stephen Colbert explains everything that's wrong with Trump Jr.'s Skittles meme
On Monday night, Donald Trump Jr. — adviser to and eldest son of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump — tweeted an image comparing refugees to poison Skittles, drawing protests from the company that makes Skittles and the refugee who snapped the photo in the meme, and outrage from lots of other people. On Tuesday, Donald Trump's running mate Gov. Mike Pence said he did not understand all the "outrage about a metaphor used by Don Jr.," and on Tuesday's Late Show, Stephen Colbert counted the ways. "That's a powerful metaphor," he began. "It really makes me reconsider my stance on eating Syrian refugees."
Colbert started with the grammar in the image, especially, "If I told you that just three would kill you." "That's not right," he said. "As in, if you think that's a complete sentence, you've got your head up your." "But "also, it turns out the math is wrong," Colbert said. The odds of being killed by a refugee in the U.S. has been calculated at 1 in 3.64 billion, "so that's not three poison Skittles in a bowl, that's three poison Skittles in one and a half Olympic-size swimming pools of Skittles — and yes, for the record, I would eat all of them."
"Worst of all, this meme isn't even original," Colbert said, tracing its origins to a feminist idea using M&Ms. "Of course, the Trump family prefers Skittles, because there are no brown ones." Then he got down to "the real problem with the graphic: It compares refugees fleeing their war-torn country to pieces of sugar. These are people who dream of living in a country where food is so plentiful we waste our candy on metaphors." If none of that was persuasive enough, Colbert said, "let me explain to Donald Trump Jr. why he's wrong in language he can understand." It's pretty sweet. Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Fall into the groove at these delightful record stores
The Week Recommends Each one strikes its own chord
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
How likely are you to get audited by the IRS?
The Explainer The odds are greater for some than others
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 22, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published