Stephen Colbert catches up with Trump's various wars: trade, North Korea, and Panama City hotels


Tuesday's Late Show kicked off with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's new peace overtures being derailed by The Bachelor.
According to South Korea, "North Korea is willing to talk to the U.S. about giving up its nuclear weapons — and not the usual way they talk about giving up their nuclear weapons, by dropping them on Seattle," Colbert explained. If the U.S. and North Korea normalize relations, "then Kim Jong Un and Trump can sit down and talk about the things they have in common, like military parades and ridiculous haircuts."
He returned to Monday night's meltdown of President Trump's former campaign aide, Sam Nunberg, who just might have been drunk. "I don't know what's more disturbing, him going on the news drunk or me having to watch the news sober," said Colbert, who gave up alcohol for Lent.
Subscribe to 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 turned from nuclear war to Trump's trade war, which has already prompted an EU threat of retaliatory tariffs on bourbon, blue jeans, and Harleys, striking "a real blow to America's midlife crisis industry," he said. "All that's left is electric guitars and 25-year-old yoga teachers named Dawn." Trump tweeted that trade wars are "easy to win," and Colbert ran with that in his Trump voice: "Yeah, wars are easy to win. The war starts, you get your dad to get you five draft deferments, the war ends, so easy."
Colbert ended with a look at the war for the Trump International Hotel in Panama City. "Trump's brand is bad for business and his name is all over this hotel," he summarized, noting all the Trump-branded drinks with the glaring exception of "a Piña Collude-a?" After a Panamanian court ruled that Trump's business had to vacate the hotel, Colbert said, the majority owner "got to experience one of the most satisfying things I've ever seen: Trump's name being removed from the building with a crowbar." Watch below. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Storm warning
Feature The U.S. is headed for an intense hurricane season. Will a shrunken FEMA and NOAA be able to respond?
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti: Did the trans rights movement overreach?
Feature The Supreme Court upholds a Tennessee law that bans transgender care for minors, dealing a blow to trans rights
-
How would the Trump administration denaturalize immigrant citizens?
Today's Big Question Using civil courts lowers the burden of proof
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off