Stephen Colbert isn't sure Trump's crankiness is a good reason to start a trade war

Stephen Colbert makes steel tariffs funny
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

President Trump's White House is entering critical meltdown, Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. "Wow, the White House tours must be getting really interesting. 'Okay, now we're passing the Lincoln Bedroom — on your right, you'll see John Kelly suffocating Jared Kushner with a pillow, and on your left you'll see the claw marks on the wall left by Steve Bannon as they dragged him to the curb.'" One manifestation of the chaos was Trump's apparently unscheduled announcement of steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Economists aren't a fan of Trump's proposed tariffs, Colbert explained, and the Dow "sunk like an anchor made of solid American steel. So, the market has spoken — unfortunately, I cannot repeat the word it said on CBS." The new policy will likely raise the price of everything from canned beer to cars, and other countries are already threatening to retaliate, but "what's interesting is how Trump came to this decision," Colbert said. "So Trump is making radical changes to our economy because he's cranky?"

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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.