Stephen Colbert taped Wednesday's Late Show in the midst of a fight between President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over this year's State of the Union speech. "The situation is chaotic and bitter and confusing — which is actually the state of our union," he said. He ran through Wednesday's standoff, but the bottom line is that Trump had no leverage here. He can't enter the House "unless they invite him in — Congress works on vampire rules," Colbert said. "It's appropriate, because this is sucking the blood out of this country."
So Pelosi "spanked him with a coequal branch" and said no, and Trump hit back by debuting a new nickname for Pelosi, Colbert said, bemused: "Your nickname for Nancy Pelosi is 'Nancy'?" Still up until he caved, it seemed "pretty obvious Trump's going to do something," since the White House had already prepared two versions of the speech, one to deliver in the House chamber and the other somewhere else in the country. "Yeah, but it has to be a location befitting this president's dignity," Colbert said. "So maybe a ball pit at McDonald's or a sand trap or — oh, I know — Red Square." There was also speculation Trump would deliver his speech at a rally, an idea The Late Show turned into a brief commercial.
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The London Library and Elizabeth Winkler's female Shakespeare claimsWhy Everyone's Talking About Critics say an event suggesting Shakespeare may have been a woman is 'wildly inappropriate'
-
Will Iran's attack on Israel backfire?Today's Big Question The unprecedented targeting of Israel could be a 'godsend' for Netanyahu as the limits of Tehran's military power are exposed
-
Tuck in to British fusion cuisineThe Week Recommends The trend for combining classics from two food cultures can result in dishes that are doubly delicious
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopicsSpeed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
-
Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 GrammysSpeed Read SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Lainey Wilson were also among the winners at LA gala
