Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah think the Trump-Xi bromance is cute, but not great for America
China and its president, Xi Jinping, pulled out all the stops to pamper and flatter President Trump during his visit, presumably to get an upper hand in negotiations. "You might be watching this whole trip and thinking, 'Come on, man, the Chinese are so dumb,'" Trevor Noah said on Thursday's Daily Show. "You can't play Trump. He is the Art of the Deal, he's not going to watch your little show and all of a sudden by like, 'You know what? I don't blame China.'" Which, of course, is exactly what Trump said, adding that he gives "China great credit" for "taking advantage" of America. "Wow," Noah said. "I never thought I'd hear an American president tell his geopolitical adversary, 'Well played, guys, we had it coming.'"
"Look, if you're a Trump supporter, him letting China off the hook probably doesn't make you feel great," Noah said. "But if he really is your guy, you should also be happy that he found love." If you're not convinced, The Daily Show put Xi and Trump's heads on Bachelor contestants and let Trump speak his heart.
"If I'm not mistaken — and I don't think I am — somebody has a bit of a man crush on Xi Jinping," Stephen Colbert concurred on Thursday's Late Show. He showed some of the pomp Trump was treated to, including a greeting "by his biggest fans, totally non-staged adoring Chinese children. 'Thank you, thank you, you are all so good at making my hats.'"
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In his trade talks with China, Trump "played his cards close to his chest — and immediately folded," Colbert said, playing the clip of Trump not blaming China. He slipped into Trump voice: "I don't blame China. Like everything else, I blame President Hillary Clinton — she has got to go." Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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