Stephen Colbert has slammed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for her defense of President Donald Trump‘s military action against Iran. The Late Show host dedicated a portion of his monologue to dissecting the administration’s messaging around the Iran war, zeroing in on what he saw as contradictory and confusing statements from officials.
Stephen Colbert slams Karoline Leavitt in monologue
The comedian focused his criticism on Leavitt’s explanation for why Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran. During a press briefing, she stated, “This decision to launch this operation was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America … And the president’s feeling based on fact that Iran does pose an imminent and direct threat to the United States of America.”
Colbert seized on the wording immediately. “A feeling based on a fact. Okay,” he responded dryly before delivering a punchline: “Incidentally, ‘I’ve Got a Feeling Based on a Fact’ is the Black Eyed Peas’ worst song. It’s right up there with, ‘Let’s Get It Started, Once We Establish Where the Fire Exits Are.’”
The late-night host then pivoted to address Trump’s own language surrounding the situation, noting the president’s frequent use of the word “war” despite never securing congressional authorization for the strikes.
Colbert revealed that the White House had distributed specific guidance to congressional Republicans on how to handle questions about it. According to the comedian, the talking points instructed lawmakers to respond with, “These are targeted major combat operations,” when asked about the potential for a prolonged war. “So it’s worse than a war. It’s a war that got a thesaurus for Christmas,” Colbert joked.
The irony, Colbert pointed out, is that Trump himself has continued using the word “war” publicly. The iconic talk show host compared the situation to trying to ignore something obvious. “It’s like when your boss has a huge pimple on his nose and you’re like, ‘Don’t talk about the pimple.’ But as soon as he walks in, you go, ‘Hi, Mr. Pimple.’”
