Stephen Colbert narrates Trump's awkward attempts at contact with France's Macron and Melania Trump
In a break from tradition, President Trump did not invite any congressional Democrats or the media to Tuesday night's state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron. "If he does not like you, you will not be there," Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. "Better luck next time, vegetables." There were some awkward moments between Trump and first lady Melania Trump in a public appearance with the Macrons earlier on Tuesday, and Colbert narrated the hat-enforced air kiss and the president's unsuccessful attempt at hand-holding. "Trump is like, 'Come on, Melania, I want to hold your hand,'" Colbert said. "It reminds of that Beatles song, 'Get Back.'"
At least Trump appears to have gotten on affectionately with Macron, Colbert said, showing their elaborate handshake/hug/kiss and then re-enacting it with bandleader Jon Batiste. "Compared to holding hands with Melania, he and Macron just performed the Kama Sutra together," Colbert joked. "Which one is he married to again?"
The Daily Show showed that in the end, Trump did manage to hold the first lady's hand — though it looks pretty ominous with the theme from Jaws playing in the background.
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.
And in The Late Show's imagining of Melania Trump's elaborate preparations for the state dinner, she slipped a special message to Macron. Watch below. Peter Weber
-
Could a part-and-part mortgage help you on to the property ladder?Combining repayment and interest-only mortgages could become more popular as part of a push towards more flexible lending
-
Is social media over?Today’s Big Question We may look back on 2025 as the moment social media jumped the shark
-
Should parents stop tracking their kids?Talking Point Experts warn the line between care and control is getting murkier – and could have consequences
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
A peek inside Europe’s luxury new sleeper busThe Week Recommends Overnight service with stops across Switzerland and the Netherlands promises a comfortable no-fly adventure
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
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'
