Stephen Colbert on Friday responded to President Trump's assertion that Sen. Chuck Schumer lied about the amount of coronavirus testing that has been performed in the U.S. during an appearance on The Late Show.
On Thursday, Schumer told Late Show host Colbert that the U.S. doesn't have enough testing. "This is one of the keys here, and it's one of the mysteries and huge shortfalls of the Trump administration. Every country that has overcome this quickly has done it because of a whole lot of tests," Schumer, who is quarantining at his home in New York, said.
On Friday, Trump countered the senator's assertions on conservative talk show host Dan Bongino's show: "We've done an unbelievable job with what we're doing. And the testing and the ventilators and everything," the president said. "Schumer gets on, starts on, 'We need more testing.'"
Trump also tweeted his outrage about Schumer's remarks: "Cryin Chuck Schumer was on a late night show using a false talking point over & over again," He added, "We don’t have enough testing,” he would repeat, when he knows we have done a great job on Testing, just like we have on Ventilators and everything else. He lied, gave NY SALT. Run AOC!"
On The Late Show on Friday, Colbert enjoyed his moment on the president's radar. "Oh my god, Donald Trump watched my interview. Mr. President, I know you may not have liked Senator Schumer, but you should check out my monologue," he said. "I say your name a lot. You're kind of the star in that you're slowly expanding to destroy all of us."
He then added, "Who am I kidding? He wasn't thrilled with me, either." The Late Show replayed another of Trump's quotes, where he said, "This guy [Colbert] gets on this stupid show last night, how these guys make money.... Where is Johnny Carson? You know, where is Johnny Carson?"
The late-night host responded, "Mr. President, I have some terrible news. It's not that Johnny's dead, it's that he thought you were a joke, too." In a clip from 1992 that Colbert then played, Carson can be heard noting that a woman got a job as "Donald Trump backup mistress."
Colbert declared, "Also, I'll tell you how I make my money, I don't bankrupt my casinos. Heyo!"
Schumer eventually responded to the president in a tweet on Friday, saying that he was "glad" the president was watching Colbert. " Maybe he’ll learn something," Schumer wrote.
"i do have a lot to teach the president," Colbert said at the end of his monologue. "For instance, I also ran for president, but unlike Trump, I knew it was a joke."
View the clip below.
