Stephen Colbert criticized President Donald Trump for bypassing constitutional rules when he launched attacks on Iran. He also made fun of Congress for planning to approve military action against Iran only after Trump already started the operation, comparing it to putting on a condom after having sex.
On Monday’s episode of *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, Colbert said Trump had effectively declared war on Iran, which goes against the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Act.
He then turned his attention to lawmakers who were expected to vote on giving formal approval for military action against Iran.
Colbert joked, “Just as good.
Don’t worry honey, I’m gonna put the condom on right after we have sex,” before saying it would be “like trying to put a glove on mashed potatoes.”
He also compared Trump’s actions to the early 2000s, when former President George W. Bush led the country into the Iraq war.
“Right off the top, I want to point out that an open-ended war of choice in the Middle East with no clear exit strategy or defined victory is where I got on this train,” he said.
“But I will say that we have no clear idea where this is going or why it’s going there.”
Colbert, who has criticized Bush’s Iraq war in the past, said at least Bush made a public case for his actions.
“Say what you want about George W. Bush, and I did,” he said.
“That guy went out there, he sold his Middle East war. That’s what the W stood for: Middle East. He was not a smart man.”
By contrast, Colbert noted that Trump spent only three minutes talking about Iran during what he called the longest State of the Union address on record, just days before announcing “major combat operations” in Iran.
“The man’s had longer farts,” Colbert said.
In the same monologue, Colbert also mocked the Pentagon’s choice of name for the mission.
“This military mission has been dubbed Operation Epic Fury,” he said, before adding: “Fun fact: Epic Fury is an anagram for: ‘Forget Epstein.'”
The White House has defended the strikes as necessary and proportionate, while congressional leaders from both parties have said they will move to debate formal authorisation in the coming days.
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