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.'"
"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.
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
Is Andrew’s arrest the end for the monarchy?Today's Big Question The King has distanced the Royal Family from his disgraced brother but a ‘fit of revolutionary disgust’ could still wipe them out
-
Quiz of The Week: 14 – 20 FebruaryQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
