Donald Trump is working quickly to put together his cabinet, making some surprising picks for key roles in his administration. Stephen Colbert weighed in on the news and compared the incoming administration to "giant piles of trash."
Colbert used the trash analogy to segue from covering New York City's proposed ban on "trash mountains." But even without that lead-in, the Late Show monologue likely would have found another way to insult Team Trump.
The late-night host focused on reports that Marco Rubio will be Trump's secretary of state and Kristi Noem will serve as head of homeland security. Colbert noted that staying in Trump's good graces and praising the incoming president secured the politicians their titles.
However, Colbert passed on the opportunity to do the same and get on Trump's good side. The bit echoed Saturday Night Live's cold open as late-night TV comes to grips with the fact its on Trump's enemy list and who knows what that will actually mean.
But the strategy clearly worked for Marco Rubio. His past insults toward Donald Trump are apparently water under the bridge. Colbert couldn't help but notice how quickly Rubio changed his tune, using some crude imagery to suggest Trump has Rubio under his control.
The monologue was just as harsh in its review of Kristi Noem getting the top job in the Department of Homeland Security. Late-night had a field day with Noem when her memoir revealed she once shot her family dog and goat. Colbert never imagined she'd come back around in the news as a member of Trump's cabinet.
On Noem's appointment, Colbert joked that "DHS" now stands for "Dogs, hide! Shotgun!" The comedian also didn't want anyone watching to forget that Noem also killed her family's goat.
The last Trump presidency introduced an odd cast of characters with some sticking around longer than others. The Trump White House 2.0 looks to be following a similar playbook, only with a much better sense of who is a diehard Trump loyalist.
It also means that late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert are already very familiar with these figures and their weak points. Colbert once admitted he didn't want a second Trump presidency no matter how much material it gave The Late Show. So whether he likes it or not, that's exactly what Donald Trump is giving him.