On Wednesday night, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump "held, like, a mini debate, like an appetizer debate, an amuse-douche, if you will," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. "It was the first time the two of them were in the same room since Trump's wedding." And since they were both on the USS Intrepid at the same time, "a lot of people were tempted to just cut the lines and let it drift out to sea," he said. Donald Trump kicked off his part by lying about supporting the Iraq War, but "the biggest question of the night was how the candidates plan to defeat ISIS, and Trump wasted no time wasting everyone's time." Colbert's summation of Trump's answer was brutal but pretty accurate.
"Since last night wasn't technically a debate, there's no real winner," he noted. "But many have declared a loser: Matt Lauer. See, the subject was national security, and the Today show host was an obvious choice for moderator." Colbert showed clips of Lauer dressed up as Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton, noting unkindly, "Paris, that's more foreign policy experience." If he was soft on Trump, "many critics slammed Lauer for asking Hillary Clinton the same question over and over again: Could you hurry it up, already?" he said. And "if last night's forum made you think about voting for a third party, you may want to rethink that thinkin'," noting Gary Johnson's "What's Aleppo?" gaffe. "That is embarrassing," Colbert said. "I haven't seen someone go blank like that since I was asked, Who is Gary Johnson?" Watch that and the latest news on Ammon Bundy 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.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 15, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - modern romance, throwback, and more
-
5 heart-stopping cartoons about Valentine's DayCartoons Artists take on precious gifts, potential acquisitions, and more
-
When 'a kiss is not a kiss': Spanish football on trialTalking Point Luis Rubiales faces up to two-and-a-half years in jail if convicted of sexually assaulting footballer Jenni Hermoso
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
