President Trump took to Twitter Wednesday night to deny that he called the White House a "dump" in front of paying members of his New Jersey golf club, but Stephen Colbert kicked off Wednesday's Late Show imagining the president browsing for less dumpy digs.
In his monologue, Colbert looked askance at the Senate immigration proposal Trump championed on Wednesday morning. The bill isn't harsh because it targets illegal immigrants — it aims to cut legal immigration to the U.S. by 50 percent, he noted, imagining how that might play out in the East Wing: "Melania, honey, I got some tough news. Only 50 percent of your parents can come to Thanksgiving."
To take the sting out of the bill, its sponsors gave it a soft name, the RAISE Act, but Colbert had an alternative acronym: the Reforming American Citizenship Is Super Tough (RACIST) Act. Trump is proposing a merit-based system — "Mr. President, wherever you are today, it's not based on merit," Colbert jabbed — that favors applicants who speak English. He rolled his eyes: "Yes, immigrants have to learn proper English — like 'bigly,' 'covfefe,' and 'bing bing bing bing bing.'"
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.
To defend the proposal, the White House sent out policy adviser Stephen Miller, and "it did not go well," Colbert said. "Could have gone better. He's not a people person." He ran through Miller's confrontations with CNN's Jim Acosta, and his sermon about those people worthy of a "golden ticket" to America. "Look, Miller, if you're trying to prove you're not racist, don't compare this to a movie where a guy enslaved a bunch of little orange people to work in his factory," Colbert said, adding, "#FreeOompaLoompas." Watch below. Peter Weber
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and TwinlessFeature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summerThe Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
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
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
