Stephen Colbert loved sleepy Donald Trump's first day in court
By Matt Moore
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was in a celebratory mood on Monday night. Stephen Colbert's monologue didn't try to hide the joy of covering Donald Trump's first day in court.
Trump spent Monday in a New York City courtroom, facing charges related to hush money payments he allegedly made to Stormy Daniels. Trump's day centered around jury selection, but that was still more than enough to entertain Stephen Colbert.
Colbert marked the occasion by calling it a "historic moment" as Trump became the first former president to stand trial in a criminal case. But the Late Show host admitted it will take some delicate language to explain the circumstances to younger members of future generations.
Colbert sounded particularly amused by reports that Trump fell asleep during the trial and missed notes passed by his lawyers. The comedian joked that having to read something would be nightmare enough to wake the ex-president.
On the Trump side of things, his team argued that appearing in court directly interferes with Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Their solution is to hold in-person and virtual events during the trial, which is expected to last weeks. Colbert can't imagine those would go well considering Trump's tendency to violate gag orders and criticize judges.
If Colbert sounded this entertained by day one, there's no telling how he'll be once the trial actually gets underway. Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen could testify, providing Colbert's monologues with even more material. Then there's the tiny chance that Trump himself takes the stand.
Colbert is likely crossing his fingers that happens. He's already had one wish come true by seeing Trump go on trial. Maybe there's more good news coming the Late Show's way. But no matter who testifies or doesn't, Colbert will lead late-night TV's coverage of this "historic" trial.