If you had Martin Luther King Jr. Day off, Stephen Colbert hopes you celebrated it the traditional way — "by sleeping in so you, too, could have a dream" — he joked at the beginning of Monday's Late Show. President-elect Donald Trump spent his day canceling a visit to the National African American Museum, Colbert noted, "although I guess in a way that might be good — the last thing we need is Trump learning more about segregation."
The big Trump news, of course, comes from his Twitter account. "Trump spent the weekend attacking civil rights icon John Lewis on Twitter," Colbert said, though "to be fair, Congressman Lewis kind of started it," telling NBC's Chuck Todd he doesn't consider Trump "a legitimate president," because Russia helped get him elected. Colbert read Trump's tweets. "Yes, well said — John Lewis is 'all talk, talk, talk," he said, "unlike a real leader like Trump, who's all tweet, tweet, tweet."
"So Trump spent the Martin Luther King weekend attacking a leader who marched and was beaten with Dr. King," Colbert said. "What's he going to do on Easter?" He imagined the Trump tweet: "Loser Jesus dead for 3 days and then we're supposed to believe he just wakes up? Fake news. I like gods who don't die. Where's the rebirth certificate?" Also: "Buddha, you're fat. You're a 6 at best."
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.
Colbert ended by noting that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is shutting down in May, after 146 years putting on "The Greatest Show on Earth" — and connecting that to Trump. "Apparently, the circus doesn't think it could compete against the Trump presidency," he said, poking Trump: "What with all the marriages, he does have three rings." Colbert noted the parallels between Trump and Barnum, including a late turn to politics and similarly titled books, then wrapped up: "And of course, though P.T. Barnum is famous for saying 'There's a sucker born every minute,' Donald Trump is famous for proving it." Watch below. Peter Weber
-
‘Congratulations on your house, but maybe try a greyhound instead’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How climate change poses a national security threatThe explainer A global problem causing more global problems
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
