Stephen Colbert likened the final debate of the 2020 presidential election to “getting our last wisdom tooth taken out” shortly after Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off.
The debate took place on Thursday night in Nashville, Tennessee, with less than two weeks to go until the election on 3 November.
Colbert was one of several late-night hosts who devoted part of their monologues do the event. He compared the idea of watching Trump debate to dental surgery, adding: “Tonight was like getting our last wisdom tooth taken out. Yes, it hurt. And yes, we can still taste the blood in our mouths.”
He also referenced the mute button that was used to ensure the candidates wouldn’t interrupt or speak over each other, spraying an animated version of the president with water in a bid to keep him silent.
“Why are we pretending this is for both of them? The rule only applies to one guy,” Colbert said, referencing Trump’s propensity to interrupt Biden during the previous debate. “This is like [McDonald's promotional character] Mayor McCheese holding a town hall and starting out by saying, ‘Remember, nobody burgle any hamburgers, please.’”
On his own show, Jimmy Kimmel described Trump as having tried “very hard to resemble a human being”, commenting: “Donald Trump is the only president who gets marks for good behaviour. Like when you bring a two-year-old on a plane.”
Jimmy Fallon referenced Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis from early this month, musing: “Tonight’s debate was considered a win for the Trump campaign – mostly because he didn’t walk in with a highly contagious disease.”
