On a recent episode of “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert talked about some of Donald Trump’s new Cabinet choices.
Colbert seemed shocked and surprised by the names announced. Trump picked Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.
Colbert started by joking about Trump’s first time becoming president in 2017. He said that some people hoped things might be different this time. But Colbert pointed out that these new picks show otherwise. He said, “I thought Trump would make bad choices if he won again, but even I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
One of the surprising choices was Matt Gaetz as attorney general. This job is about enforcing the law in the country. But Gaetz himself is under investigation. A House Ethics panel is looking into serious allegations against him, including possible involvement with drugs. Colbert joked, “Picking Matt Gaetz to enforce the law is like putting a fox in charge of a henhouse.”
Next, Colbert talked about Trump’s choice of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. This job involves managing all the U.S. intelligence agencies, like the FBI and CIA. Colbert made fun of this pick, saying that when he thinks of Gabbard, the word “intelligence” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
Colbert then mentioned another surprising pick, Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host. Trump wants him to be the secretary of defense, a role that involves managing the military. Colbert joked that Hegseth’s main qualification is that he is on TV. He added, “Trump seems to like picking people he watches on TV.”
Towards the end of his talk, Colbert brought up the decision by Senate Republicans to pick Sen. John Thune as their majority leader. Usually, when a president chooses someone for a big job like these, the Senate has to hold hearings. This is where both parties ask questions and check if the person is fit for the role. However, Colbert noted that Trump, with Thune’s support, wants to skip these hearings. He wants to give the jobs without any questions or review.
Colbert ended his monologue with a joke. He said it seems like Trump wants to act like a magician, saying, “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, here’s the job without any review.”
In short, Colbert was surprised by Trump’s picks for these important jobs. He used humor to point out why he thinks these choices might not be the best.
