Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and Seth Meyers unpack Trump's feuds with Puerto Rico
All the late-night comedy hosts began Monday's shows with thoughts on Sunday night's mass murder in Las Vegas, but many of them also had something to say about President Trump's "asymmetrical tweet assault against the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulín Cruz," as Stephen Colbert put in on The Late Show. After acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke called the federal relief effort in Puerto Rico a "good news story," Cruz responded with a critique that did not mention Trump, and Trump "took it very personally," Colbert said. He read some tweets of Trump "blaming the victim" and accusing Puerto Ricans of wanting everything done for them. "Keep in mind, this is a man who literally has a button on his desk that he pushes and a butler brings him a Coke," he said. He shook his head that Trump dedicated a golf trophy to Puerto Rico, presented Trump with his own trophy, and ended with a satirically pro-Trump Real News Tonight report.
On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah was similarly baffled that "a man who's spent 71 days of his presidency at a golf course" would call the "hurricane-ravaged people of Puerto Rico" lazy. He also shook his head at that golf trophy, though he suggested that "in Trump's mind, that made sense, right? He was, like, 'This weekend both the golfers and Puerto Rico had to deal with water hazards.'" And Noah pointed to the angry tweet from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who's actually "like the nicest person you will ever meet in your life."
On Late Night, Seth Meyers had another Puerto Rican, staff writer Jenny Hagel, explain what "nasty" would look like in Puerto Rico and delivered some untranslated insults. Meyers contrasted Trump's tweets with the GOP's proposed tax cuts for the rich and failure to renew health care for 9 million children. Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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