Stephen Colbert reminds Trump that separating migrant families is his policy, not Obama's

Stephen Colbert blames Trump for Trump's immigration policies
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

Immigration is the throbbing id of President Trump's politics, and it also "got him two of his wives," Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. "But there's been a huge spike in illegal immigration since Trump took office, and he looks like an idiot — not sure which of those two things came first — so he's mad, he's hoppin' mad." Trump has reacted with a purge of the Department of Homeland Security, from outgoing Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on down. "It is going to be tough to find people to fill those positions — if only there was a group of folks willing to do jobs Americans don't want to do," he deadpanned.

On Tuesday, Trump "denied he's doing the things that he's already started doing," including "cleaning house" at DHS and coming up with his administration's migrant family separation policy, Colbert said. He acerbically reminded Trump that, contrary to his claim, former President Barack Obama did not come up with or enact that policy, or publicly defend it, like Trump did "in the same meeting where you claimed it was all Obama's fault. ... Don't get me wrong, Obama's no angel here," Colbert said, teeing up an adorable slide show. "I mean, there is ample evidence of Barack taking kids from their parents, subjecting them to harsh interrogations, even confiscating all of their hugs."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.