Stephen Colbert weighs the pros and cons of President Oprah, considers if Trump is actually, like, really smart

Stephen Colbert on President Oprah
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

"Did anyone here see last night's episode of Oprah?" Stephen Colbert asked on Monday's Late Show. "Now, some people are calling it the Golden Globes," but Oprah Winfrey's speech clearly stole the show. "People were immediately calling that speech presidential — and a year ago, I would have agreed," he said. "These days, it played a little coherent."

There are upsides to the idea of a President Oprah, but "I offer a note of caution," Colbert said: "Do we really want to elect another billionaire TV star? Granted, this one is actually a billionaire and actually a TV star." But Oprah seems reasonable enough to consider that "being a billionaire TV star doesn't necessarily qualify you to have the launch codes," he added. "Then again, if we ever did go toe-to-toe with North Korea, I believe she could calm Kim Jong Un down just by helping him lose weight." Even Trump thinks Oprah belongs in the White House, he noted, though Trump was "delusional" enough back in 1999 to believe she would agree to be his vice president.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.