Stephen Colbert finds it unusual for President Trump to choose Saudi Arabia for his first international trip of his new term, but at least he believes he knows the reason why.
“Normally, back when we had normal presidents, [the President] would make their first international trip to the U.K., or Canada, or any close ally,” Colbert noted in his monologue Tuesday.
Quoting reports from The Washington Post and CBS News respectively, Colbert explained, “But like everything, Trump’s decision ‘seemed to come down to a highest bidder approach.’ And as he said in March, ‘Last time I went to Saudi Arabia, they put up $450 million.’”
Doing an impression of Trump, Colbert joked, “I’m going around the palace with a big bag. Come on, just drop your bribe right in. Qatar gave me a jet. Can you beat a jet?”
Colbert also ripped Trump for cozying up to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his trip.
“Just a gentle reminder, U.S. intelligence has determined that Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi,” Colbert said. “So here’s how Trump talked about him…”
Colbert showed a clip of Trump praising bin Salman in a speech Tuesday, saying, “I like him too much. That’s why we give so much, you know, too much.”
Going into another Trump impression, Colbert joked, “I like you too much. You’re like the son I never had. What’s that? How many? The guy with the gums? God, that’s depressing.”
Colbert wasn’t the only late night host to speculate on Trump’s true intentions for visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates in his trip. The Daily Show recurring host Jordan Klepper also believed it was about the money.
“You might be wondering, why did Trump pick these countries for his first foreign trip?” Klepper said. “Well, there’s a strong geopolitical balance of… I’m f—ing with you. Corruption!”
He showed a news clip covering how Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr., both “have lucrative real estate deals in the works in all three countries.”
“Yeah, the Trump boys have projects in all three countries,” Klepper said. “I never thought I’d say this, but can’t these countries go back to doing something more constructive, like funding terrorism?”
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