Late night hosts have complicated emotions about John Bolton's Trump bombshells, but not Aunt Jemima


President Trump's attempts to block former National Security Adviser John Bolton's tell-all from hitting shelves "ain't gonna work," Stephen Colbert said on Wednesday's Late Show, holding up his own advance copy, one of hundreds. Still, he said, "you can see why Trump is so desperate to kill this book. Because this afternoon, several newspapers published excerpts, and — I can't believe I'm saying this — it's worse that even I imagined." He ran through some of Bolton's revelations, rising from "amoral idiocy" to "just downright evil." Still, he said, "I doubt Trump would ever 'execute' a journalist. He'd ask Jared to have his Saudi friends do it."
"Bolton writes that Trump said journalists should be executed, he didn't know Britain was a nuclear power, he asked if Finland was part of Russia, he begged the Chinese to help him with the election," Jimmy Kimmel recapped. "Could you imagine the president asking his advisers if Finland is part of Russia? He's the president of the United States! This is like your mechanic asking if the muffler is part of the glove compartment."
"Trump is, in his own unique way, breathtakingly dumb," Late Night's Seth Meyers said, primarily referring to Trump's administration-wide "coronavirus coverup." And don't cry for Bolton, who "courageously hid behind his mustache rather than testify in Trump's impeachment trial," he said. "There's no one — no one — to root for in a Trump versus Bolton fight. They're both megalomaniac sociopaths looking out for themselves. It's a real Alien vs. Predator, except all you need to do to stop Alien Trump is install a ramp."
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.
Meanwhile, "Republicans are mad at Bolton for writing a book that's critical of Trump," Jimmy Fallon said at The Tonight Show. "That's why the blurb on the back just says 'No one is happy about this.' — Everyone." Fallon said he wasn't too upset to see Aunt Jemima scrapped, but "Trump was bummed, because Aunt Jemima was the only black woman in his cabinet."
The Late Show canceled other (imaginary) racist syrup brands.
"That's right, after 130 years, it is officially time to pour one out for Aunt Jemima," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show, running through the brand's racist history, with early ads "so racist, Trump's probably gonna appoint one to attorney general." Bolton's book, meanwhile, is now No. 1 on Amazon, thanks to Trump's amazingly "shortsighted" suppression efforts, he noted, but "the stuff that's been leaking out of this book is pretty wild." 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.
-
The IDF's manpower problem
The Explainer Israeli military's shortage of up to 12,000 troops results in call-up for tens of thousands of reservists
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 – 22 August
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Can Soho House get its edge back?
Talking Point The private members' club has lost its exclusive appeal – but a £2 billion buy-out could offer a fresh start
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play