Stephen Colbert’s hopes and prayers have come true.
Last month, Colbert – the new host, executive producer and writer of CBS' The Late Show – told the New York Post, “Every night I light a candle that [Donald Trump] stays in the race until September 8.”
Not surprisingly, during Colbert’s debut, the Republican front-runner was the butt of the host’s barbs.
“Just like the rest of the media, I will be covering all the candidates who are Donald Trump,” Colbert gleefully said.
After playing a clip of Trump saying he was swearing off of Oreos because Nabisco was closing a plant in Chicago and opening one in Mexico, Colbert gorged himself on Oreos while riffing about everything from Trump’s stance on immigration (“He’s the only candidate brave enough to deport the Keebler elves”), to his hair.
It’s no coincidence Colbert chose to begin hosting the show the day after Labor Day, the traditional start of the political campaign season. In a USA Today article published earlier this week, Colbert was quoted as saying he is “uniquely positioned” to discuss politics on his show.
Colbert did praise his predecessor, David Letterman, effusively. But if the first episode is any indication, Colbert will attempt to craft the show in his own image – with politics playing a bigger role on The Late Show than it has in the past.
Will Bush Get a Colbert Bump?
Indeed, Colbert firmly established himself as a political satirist while hosting Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report. And while actor George Clooney made an appearance on The Late Show – as did musical legends Mavis Staples and Buddy Guy – politics were front and center Tuesday night, with Republican presidential candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush the featured guest.
Colbert introduced Bush as, “with one exception aside – which we'll get to later – the front runner for the Republican nomination.” (Actually, Colbert was being generous; Bush has been polling in the single digits, trailing political outsiders Trump and Ben Carson.)
