Late-night comedians in the United States turned their attention to Donald Trump’s state visit to Japan, as the government shutdown entered its fourth week. On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host remarked on Trump’s palace tour with Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, joking that the former president looked “lost at the shopping centre” while wandering through a grand ballroom. Kimmel also referenced Trump’s comments to US troops aboard the USS Washington, where he veered into a discussion about magnets and steam power.
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Kimmel criticised Republican leaders for failing to resolve the budget impasse, noting that House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed there was nothing Trump could do to end the shutdown. The presenter suggested that even hard-right figures such as Marjorie Taylor Greene were frustrated, after reports she challenged Johnson to share the party’s healthcare plans – which Kimmel argued do not exist.
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert thanked the people of Japan “for giving America a brief respite” by hosting Trump. He joked that Japan was attempting to avoid trade tensions by offering cherry trees and fireworks, before highlighting Trump’s comments about potentially deploying the military domestically to restore order in American cities. Colbert warned that such remarks could be interpreted as a threat to use troops against US citizens, adding his trademark deadpan commentary on the rhetoric.
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Seth Meyers also weighed in, questioning Trump’s claim that he was seeing his “best polling numbers ever”. He went on to joke about the former president’s upcoming Halloween plans at the White House and referenced a recall affecting Tesla’s Cybertruck over overly bright headlights, quipping that owners could “see people laughing at them from nearly 300 yards away”.
