Late night hosts are bemused at Trump's encouragement of the 'virus huggers' flouting his own advice

Late night hosts on anti-lockdown protests
(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube/The Daily Show, The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live)

After a month of isolation, "some of us are starting to go a little kooky in the old squirrel cage," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. "Like a handful of idiots who were out this weekend protesting against social distancing." That's so out of the mainstream, he said, that "on Thursday, even Donald Trump encouraged social distancing — and the next day tweeted his support of the protests."

"To be clear, Trump is encouraging his followers to protest his own recommendations," Colbert said. The president said these "virus huggers" are justified in protesting because they are bored, he sighed. "Just because you have 'cabin fever' doesn't give you the right to go out and spread fever fever!" Colbert also noted Monday's historic plunge in oil futures: "Negative 40 bucks! I think that means when you go to the gas station, you get a free tank and $40 worth of Slim Jims. Now to save their profits, Texas oilfields are immediately switching over to drilling for toilet paper."

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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.