The Late Show host Stephen Colbert mocked President Donald Trump's donation of his White House paycheck to the Department of Homeland Security, alluding to the infamous Stormy Daniels hush payment.
Trump tweeted on Monday: "While the press doesn't like writing about it, nor do I need them to, I donate my yearly Presidential salary of $400,000.00 to different agencies throughout the year, this to Homeland Security. If I didn't do it there would be hell to pay from the FAKE NEWS MEDIA!"
The president also included a picture of a $100,000 check made out to the Department of Homeland Security and signed by himself.
"You can't say you don't care if anybody knows about it and [at] the same time announce it to the world on Twitter," Colbert said during the opening segment of his show on Tuesday night. "That's like naming a building, 'The Anonymously Donated by the Great & Charitable Donald J. Trump Hospital.'"
Colbert then noted the image of the check and referenced the $130,000 payment made on behalf of Trump to Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, an adult film actress, to keep her quiet about an alleged extramarital affair between the two, which the president denies.
The hush payment was made by Michael Cohen, the president's former fixer, before the 2016 election.
Cohen, who will shortly go to jail for fraud, making false statements, and campaign finance violations, alleges that Trump directed him to make the payment for the benefit of his presidential campaign. Trump denies this.
"Wow, Department of Homeland Security has got to be the worst porn star name ever," Colbert joked. "It's usually $130,000," he added.
The comedian also suggested Trump is a hypocrite because the $100,000 donation is dwarfed by the money he will potentially take from the department's budget to build the southern border wall.
President Trump argues the wall is essential for border security and that there is a crisis, leading him to declare a controversial national emergency over the issue after Congress refused to give him the funding he wants for the project.
But his critics dismiss the wall as an expensive and ineffective gimmick responding to a border crisis that the evidence shows does not exist.
"Trump is patting himself on the back here for donating money to homeland security. But, in fact, his most recent proposal for wall funding would take $5 billion away from the Department of Homeland Security budget," Colbert said.
"So Trump's paycheck donation is like robbing a restaurant then on your way out throwing a nickel in the tip jar."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Shane Croucher is a Senior Editor based in London, UK. He oversees the My Turn team. He has previously overseen ... Read more
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