Thursday's big political story was all sound and fury, Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show — or as House Speaker Paul Ryan put it, "encouraging." Colbert was referring to the big Paul Ryan-Donald Trump meeting in Washington, and he wasn't impressed. "Here's the thing: Ryan had to meet with Trump — he's the nominee — to make it look like the Republican Party is not in chaos, that someone is in control," he said. "But nothing happened, okay? That was the whole point, is for them to get together, us not to see it, and then nothing happens. It was pure theater." They should have had the meeting on Broadway, he added, breaking out the jazz hands for a West Side Story bit.
"Ryan did not endorse Trump, or poke him with a stick, or anything fun," Colbert said. "Instead they just released a joint statement saying they were 'totally committed to working together.' And when Donald Trump commits to something, he totally means it — ask any of his wives." The bottom line, he said, is that "the last 24 hours of all political news was complete B.S." The bigger story, he added, is that Trump now says he might not release his tax returns before the election. Watch Colbert go through Donald Trump's (made up) tax returns 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.
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The WaterboysFeature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
-
Are bonds worth investing in?the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plungeSpeed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm marketsSpeed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reportsSpeed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
