The current election cycle has left fans of The Colbert Report feeling the absence of Stephen Colbert’s fake pundit persona all the more keenly. But Colbert has attempted to recreate some of that satirical magic on the Late Show, even reviving the character for explicit takedown purposes. Although the host had to retire his creation yet again last week under implied threat of legal action, one of his old bits has found new, misspelled life on the Late Show. In his second installment of The Werd—not to be confused with The Word, which is not, at this time, the bird—Colbert delved into the strings of syllables that not only pass for speech in Donald Trump’s world, but also make up his platform.
Echoing the sentiments of most right-minded folk, Colbert notes that any one of Trump’s offensive statements—be it of the xenophobic, bigoted, or racist variety (we know, they’re all virtually the same)—would be enough to end any other politician’s career. But the sheer volume of his malapropisms and hate speech has buoyed Trump above reproach, leaving him free to replace his latest blunder with something even more objectionable, like criticizing the grieving parents of a fallen American soldier. So basically, the world is growing inured to Trump’s bullshit, which is a frightening prospect that’s best demonstrated—i.e., softened by—this clip from The Simpsons.