Georgia had two big Senate elections Tuesday, and "to support the Republican candidates, last night the president went down to Georgia — as devils often do," Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. "But the main thing on his mind was tomorrow's congressional certification of Joe Biden's win. The president still thinks he has a chance to somehow overturn that, partly because the guy overseeing the certification ceremony" is his loyal Vice President Mike Pence, "and he really expects Pence to have his back on this."
"The thing is, Pence's role as president of the Senate is a purely ceremonial job," Colbert noted. "The vice president can't arbitrarily decide who's the next president! Otherwise, in 2001 I'm gonna guess Al Gore would have picked Al Gore." Still he said, "this is gotta be a painful moment for Pence, having to choose between the country he loves and the man he's pledged to help destroy it."
The Late Show predicted how Pence will choose in an animated short.
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.
"Yeah, Trump has to be begging Pence to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote tomorrow," which Pence can't do, Jimmy Fallon said at The Tonight Show. "Pence's only role is to preside over the ballot counting — he's basically one step above a BINGO caller." That may be sad, Fallon said, but at least Pence isn't Trump, "still campaigning for an election he already lost. Imagine Justin Guarini tweeting today, 'Text 50815 to make me the next American Idol!'"
"Trump still has a lot of supporters, he still has plenty of talking heads who eagerly peddle these cockamamie claims that the election was stolen," and "at least a dozen Republican senators and about 140 Republicans in the House are planning to object to certifying the results of the election tomorrow," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. "It's a move that will certainly fail. The only question now is what is Mike Pence gonna do about?"
"Pence is in a pickle because the vice president is the one who officially declares the winner, and Boss Baby is pressuring Pence to say he's the winner — which makes no sense," Kimmel said. "The vice president's role is ceremonial, it's like the Oscars: He basically opens the envelope and announces the name. But Trump wants him to pull a La La Land, and Mike Pence is now in a tight spot." Watch him feign pity for Pence below. Peter Weber
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed 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 viewSpeed 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 talkSpeed 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 ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
