Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert wonder if Bloomberg can beat his own history with women, stop-and-frisk

Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert stop-and-frisk Bloomberg
(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube/The Late Show, The Daily Show)

"The Democratic primaries are off and running," and after the Nevada caucuses, "the next actual primary is my home state of South Carolina," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. "Assuming they don't secede between now and then, South Carolina is holding their primary on Saturday, Feb. 29 — that's leap day, a day that only exists once every four years, just like the South Carolina Democratic Party. The South Carolina electorate is a whole new ballgame for the Dems," because it's not blindingly white like Iowa and New Hampshire.

Joe Biden "is currently leading among black voters, with 27 percent," followed by "former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with 22 percent," Colbert said. "Now that sounds surprising, but Bloomberg has been out there in the African American community, shaking hands and frisking babies." He's also "been accused in several lawsuits of creating an uncomfortable workplace environment for women, but he won't release women who sued him from their nondisclosure agreements," he added. "Oh good, yet another New York billionaire with a questionable history with women. Next we're going to find out about his sons, Merrick and Bloom Jr." There's a photo. It's disturbing.

Yes, "the real threat to Bloomberg's campaign is his past," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. "While Bloomberg is out there trying to win the black vote in 2020, he's on tape in 2015 talking about black people like they're crime piñatas. ... Getting caught on tape encouraging police to arrest black people is definitely going to hurt you with black voters. It's the same way you would lose white voters if a tape came out of you saying that pets aren't the same as babies."

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Bloomberg is trying to explain away his stop-and-frisk comments, but in real life "he encouraged his police department to treat black people like they were all criminals," Noah said. "As much as he tries to move forward and get out of this, reporters won't let this story go. They keep hassling him at events, questioning him about his motives, just trying to find any little thing that he's done wrong. It must so frustrating for him. And to that, I say: Mike Bloomberg, welcome to the world of stop-and-frisk."

Noah also compared Bloomberg to Tyrion Lannister in an elaborate 2020 campaign–Game of Thrones analogy.

Noah also compared Trump to too much GoT, and warned Democrats against ideological purity, between scenes. Watch below. Peter Weber

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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.