President Biden was sworn in as America's 46th president on Wednesday, and former President Donald Trump retired to Florida. The Late Show captured the mood on late-night television.
"It was a bright, sunny day in Washington, and now we finally have a president who knows not to stare directly at the sun, Jimmy Fallon said at The Tonight Show. "Seriously, anyone else feel like they just lost 280 pounds?"
Jimmy Kimmel Live, like The Tonight Show, chose Steam's "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" as Trump's exit song.
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.
"Watching the inauguration today, I recognized just how worried I've been for my country," Stephen Colbert said at The Late Show. "Today felt like a return to normalcy, even though so much about the day was abnormal." For example, in Biden's inaugural address, he added, it was "so strange to hear somebody say that we're a great nation without then hearing about which of us are radical socialist antifas intent on destroying our heritage with low-flow toilet flushes."
"Trump's last day in office wasn't all just whining and stealing silverware," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. "Trump pardoned a ton of shady people in the last hours of his presidency," too. And as for Biden, Noah said, he "went straight to work — and let's just say the White House bathrooms aren't the only place Biden is looking to wipe out any trace of Donald Trump."
Biden signed "an unprecedented 17 executive actions to dismantle his predecessor's legacy," Colbert said. "He's reversing everything from the last four years, even taking Puerto Rico off Craigslist and getting rid of the warning label on bleach that says 'Yum Yum.'" But "while he was at the Resolute Desk, Biden found a surprise from his predecessor," a "generous" letter, he added. "We here at The Late Show have acquired a copy of the letter, and it is very generous: 'Dear Joe, I'll give you 10 million dollars for a pardon. Also, can I borrow 10 million dollars?'"
"Former President Trump today ... oh God, wow, you wait so long to say those words and then when you finally can, you don't know how to react," Seth Meyers marveled at Late Night. "Former President Trump concluded his remarks at this morning's sendoff at Joint Base Andrews by telling the crowd, 'We'll see you soon.' 'We were about to say the same thing,' said the Southern District of New York." Peter Weber
-
The Week Unwrapped: Has Donald Trump secured his Nobel Peace Prize?Podcast Plus, what does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?
-
Hurricanes are not exclusive to Earth. They can happen in space.Under the radar These storms may cause navigational problems
-
Crossword: August 15, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
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
