Former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday to meet with the community in disarray after a Norfolk Southern train derailment containing hazardous materials earlier this month.
During his “Late Show” monologue on Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert talked about Trump’s visit to the devastated town without naming him, only referring to him as “former president.”
Colbert said what should’ve been a visit comforting people dealing with a tragedy seemed more like a campaign rally for Trump. The late-night host said, either way, it was an epic fail.
“This may be a surprise to you, but the former president was not just in Ohio out of the goodness of his heart,” Colbert said. “You see, his 2024 presidential run has gotten off to a rocky start, struggling to generate excitement. So he viewed the visit as a major campaign visit.”
Colbert added, “Yeah, it’s fitting that he’s trying to restart his campaign in East Palestine because, much like the fish there, it’s dead in the water.”
Nearly 50 cars derailed in East Palestine on Feb 3, prompting an evacuation order and a declaration of a state of emergency. Three days later, officials conducted a “controlled release” of the chemicals inside some of the railroad cars because they feared a possible explosion. The “controlled release” sent a dark cloud over the entire town, and many residents still to this day say they are afraid to drink the water and do not believe the air quality is safe. Additionally, they raised concerns about the hundreds if not thousands of dead fish in area creeks.
“This is a shattered community,” Colbert said. “It is important for the former president to stay focus on their crisis for at least two minutes before detouring just a little.”
Colbert played a video clip of Trump talking to residents at a press conference. Trump was rambling about bringing back Big Ten football during the pandemic, as people behind him looked confused.
“I called the head of the Big Ten and said you gotta get this football open,” Trump said.
“Spoken like a guy who totally knows how football works,” Colbert said.
Colbert said while mimicking Trump, “You gotta open up the football to get the delicious pig meat inside.”
To watch Colbert’s full monologue, click the video above.
