Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert joke about Biden's smackdown of Trump in Jan. 6 speech
"Today is the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol," Jimmy Fallon said on Thursday's Tonight Show. "President Biden marked the day with a speech, and he really unloaded on Trump," who he referred to as "a defeated former president." Wow, "Biden is not messing around there," Fallon said. "I know that vibe — that's high school principal after a food-fight vibe. Then just to rub it in, Biden was like, 'I would've DM'ed you, but I couldn't find you on Twitter.'"
"It think it's important that we commemorate and reflect on days like this that so deeply influence the history of this great nation — there's a reason Texas' motto is not 'What's An Alamo?'" Stephen Colbert said on The Late Show, which kicked off with a musical take-down of Trump and other Jan. 6 players. He recalled his shock "at this grotesque tragedy" and the improvisation it demanded of his show, then he ran down Biden's speech, including his stately reference to the feces some protesters smeared on the Capitol walls.
"Biden turned his attention to the actions — or more accurately, the inactions — of his predecessor during the riot," Colbert said. "Then Joe took the gloves off." He was a fan. "Hell, yes! ... I loved that speech today. Truly a powerful speech. That is the Joe Biden I remember, that is the Joe Biden we stole this election for — I mean, voted for."
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.
"Predictably, Biden's speech prompted a response" from Trump, Colbert said, and once more he had a 7-year-old read it. He then pointed out that, despite Trump's assertion, Biden never used his name. He played a super-cut of Biden saying "the former president," laughing the line about Trump being "a defeated former president," and jokingly pointed to Biden's "one direct reference to the former president."
"Now there were some notable absences from the ceremonies today," Colbert said. Only two Republicans showed up for a moment of silence for fallen Capitol Police officers, while "the other Republican legislators chose to re-enact Jan. 6 by hiding in fear."
Jimmy Kimmel Live succinctly recapped the Jan. 6 insurrection — and, briefly, other January 6ths in history.
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.
-
Political cartoons for February 1Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Tom Homan's offer, the Fox News filter, and more
-
Will SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic make 2026 the year of mega tech listings?In Depth SpaceX float may come as soon as this year, and would be the largest IPO in history
-
Reforming the House of LordsThe Explainer Keir Starmer’s government regards reform of the House of Lords as ‘long overdue and essential’
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
