Following President Donald Trump‘s boasting of his “really good” ballroom skills last Thursday (July 31), Stephen Colbert found some very uncomfortable evidence to support the president’s claims.
On Monday’s (August 4) edition of The Late Show, Colbert shared the news that amid firing officials and revising history museums, Trump is planning to add a huge 90,000-square-foot ballroom to the White House.
“The White House just unveiled its plan for a new $200 million ballroom,” the late-night host said in his opening monologue before showing an architectural preview of the room, with its gold chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Now, presidents are allowed to do a little renovation, of course. The Obamas added a vegetable garden. Truman and Nixon both added bowling lanes,” Colbert continued, before quipping, “And Jimmy Carter famously added a sex dungeon.”
“According to Trump, people have been clamoring for a ballroom for a long time,” the comedian added, throwing to a clip of Trump speaking to the press at the White House last Thursday.
Trump told reporters, “We’ve been planning it a long time. They’ve wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years, but there’s never been a president who was good at ballroom. I’m really good.”
“To be fair, he’s right,” Colbert responded. “Trump is good at ballroom. I mean, just check out this footage of him dancing it up.”
He then threw to archive footage of Trump dancing beside the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 1992. “Hey, who’s that guy?” Colbert mockingly asked while watching the clip.
In recent weeks, Trump has been avoiding questions about his relationship with Epstein and the disgraced financier’s alleged “client list.” Last month, the President hung up on a CNN reporter when asked about the case and the public’s interest in the release of the Epstein files.
Back to the White House renovations, Colbert added, “There’s a good chance this ballroom will actually happen, because as Trump promised, the White House just completed paving over the Rose Garden with concrete.”
He then showed photos of what the iconic garden used to look like, with its borders of colorful roses and freshly manicured lawn, and what it looks like now, with its white paving stones and white lawn furniture.
“It reminds me of that classic poem,” Colbert joked. “Roses are red. Concrete is white. This place looks like s*** now.”
You can watch Colbert’s full opening monologue above and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS