Stephen Colbert sounds the alarm on Trump’s unlimited power
By Matt Moore
Stephen Colbert returned to The Late Show on Monday night following a medical absence. But the late-night TV host wasn’t exactly in a celebratory mood, instead sounding the alarm about Donald Trump taking unlimited power.
Colbert missed two weeks of shows due to a ruptured appendix. Catching up on what he missed, his monologue on Monday night returned to his favorite topic.
Donald Trump made headlines for suggesting that he would act like a dictator “only on day one” if he wins the 2024 presidential election. Other late-night hosts jumped on the comments, and Colbert took his turn last night on The Late Show.
“Recently, people have been warning about Trump being a wannabe dictator,” Colbert started. “Because he wannabe.” The comedian argued that the ex-president’s reelection campaign has been all about retribution.
Colbert warned that Trump’s idea of “only on day one” could easily extend to the entirety of a four-year term. While the comedian allowed for the idea Trump is just trolling, he also believes that Trump would not relinquish unlimited power.
Instead, Colbert imagines that Trump would quickly become addicted to his hold over the country. It’s impossible for the Late Show host to see a scenario where Trump would willingly return to “normal.”
Stephen Colbert isn’t the first or only late-night TV host to send out warnings about Donald Trump. It just seems like now, Colbert doesn’t have to stretch so far to connect the dots. The former president’s comments don’t need the Late Show‘s commentary to get the message across. At least, that’s the approach Colbert’s monologue seems to be taking.
Only time will tell whether or not Colbert’s prediction comes true. Bill Maher famously said that Trump would never give up the White House if he lost the 2020 election. Clearly, this is a case where Colbert doesn’t want to be the one saying “I told you so.”