After some uncertainty Tuesday morning, it appears the ceasefire between Israel and Iran is holding, which means that there were plenty of previously recorded anti-Trump hot takes from the late night comedy shows on Sunday and Monday that aged rather poorly.
HBO’s John Oliver tapes Last Week Tonight on Saturday, but it airs on Sunday. This particular taping occurred before the B-2 dropped their bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities, but Oliver did claim to know one thing for certain on Saturday: everything is Trump’s fault:
And as for what this would actually accomplish, some experts suggest a successful attack would simply set Iran's nuclear program back by a year or two. Which is pretty galling, given Trump arguably got us into this situation in the first place, after abandoning the Iran nuclear deal back in 2018. America getting directly involved here would massively escalate things, with no guarantee regarding what the outcome would be. And yet, we're right on the edge of doing exactly that. As for whether Trump actually calls a strike, it seems that nobody—including him—has any real idea.
First of all, everything that has happened between Israel and Iran over the last two years stemmed from October 7, not the nuclear deal. Still, Oliver played a clip of Trump trying to be unpredictable, “You don't know that I’m going to even do it. You don’t know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.”
Oliver didn’t see Trump trying to keep Iran guessing; he saw Trump being stupid and reckless, “The problem is that when Trump says that, he thinks it makes him sound like a chess master, when in reality it makes him sound like a cow flying a plane. 'Nobody knows what I'm gonna do, but it's reasonable to assume it's not going to end great!'”
After the Saturday strikes, the show’s Bluesky account reiterated that Trump exiting the Iran Deal was to blame for the situation.
On Monday, CBS’s Stephen Colbert was reacting on The Late Show to various clips of Vice President JD Vance and claimed Trump’s actions are eerily similar to the run-up to the Iraq War, “If this all feels like deja vu, Vance promises this time is different.”
In a clip, Vance claimed, “The difference is that back then, we had dumb presidents.”
Alluding to the fact that Trump’s Truth Social post announcing that the B-2s landed safely had a typo in it, Colbert wasn’t buying it, “Yes. Yes. Back then, he's got a point. Back then, we had dumb presidents. And now we have Donakd J. Trump. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. He—he is smarkt. You'll remember, back in 2003, the U.S. went into Iraq with the specific goal of toppling Saddam Hussein. This time, Vance promises, that's not the idea.”
After another Vance clip distancing the administration from regime change, Colbert brought out his Trump impression and added, “Okay! Great! Loud and very clear. And immediately contradicted by the president, who posted, ‘It's not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime change,’ but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change??? MIGA!!!’"
Over at NBC, Late Night’s Seth Meyers, actually referenced the ceasefire, but nevertheless also tried to compare Trump and George W. Bush, “The Bush team manipulated and cherry-picked information to manufacture a false pretext for the war. Trump, on the other hand, openly contradicted his own intelligence director on camera, in front of everyone.”
After a clip of Trump claiming DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard was wrong about Iran’s ambitions and a Sex and the City digression, Meyers asserted that, “All of this has led to questions about whether the Trump team is even listening to its own intelligence experts. But JD Vance put that question to rest on Sunday.”
Vance was then seen affirming, “Of course we trust our intelligence community, but we also trust our instincts.”
Meyers was not comforted, “Well, that puts me at ease. I'm glad we bombed a country based on instincts, especially the instincts of Donald Trump and JD Vance, two of the weirdest human beings on the planet.”
Later, after another clip of Vance claiming we were not at war with Iran, but rather Iran’s nuclear program, Meyers echoed Colbert, “Yeah, duh. It makes total sense. It's like a husband who says to his wife, ‘Honey, I'm not in love with your sister. I'm just in love with the blue sundress she wore to our barbecue. Honey?’ But you heard the president's team. They made it clear this is not about regime change, and I'm sure the president listens to them, and respects their opinion, and won't immediately contradict them a few hours later."
After similar clips on Trump’s MIGA post, Meyers concluded, “The public was overwhelmingly opposed to any military intervention in the Middle East, which is why Trump is sending mixed messages and trying to have it both ways. He's trying everything to keep the pro-war and anti-war sides of his MAGA coalition intact.”
Or, Trump had a goal in mind, achieved that goal, and then declared victory. It will be interesting to see if Oliver, Colbert, and Meyers admit to being wrong or find some way to claim they were actually right all along.
Here are transcripts for the June 21 and 23-taped shows:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
6/23/2025
11:45 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: If this all feels like deja vu, Vance promises this time is different.
JD VANCE: I certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East. [Jump Cut] But the difference is that back then, we had dumb presidents.
COLBERT: Yes. Yes. Back then, he's got a point. Back then, we had dumb presidents. And now we have Donakd J. Trump. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. He— he is smarkt. You'll remember, back in 2003, the U.S. went into Iraq with the specific goal of toppling Saddam Hussein. This time, Vance promises, that's not the idea.
KRISTEN WELKER: Does the United States support Israel killing Iran's leader?
VANCE: Well, look, that's up to the Israelis, but our view has been very clear that we don't want a regime change.
COLBERT: Okay! Great! Loud and very clear. And immediately contradicted by the president, who posted, [TRUMP VOICE]: "It's not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime change,’ but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change??? MIGA!!!"
MIGA? MIGA? MIGA? Your whole damn thing is America first! You can't just hand other countries your slogan! That's like if McDonald's had an ad campaign that said "I'm Lovin' it. It being Burger King." No! No! I'm mad. No! God bless it. Sorry, you had to see this.
Today, Iran launched missiles against two U.S. bases, including one in Qatar, but both Qatar and the Trump administration were made aware of the Iranian attack ahead of time. And so thankfully, no casualties were reported. Hopefully, that'll be the end. But who knows, because immediately after the strikes on Saturday, Iran warned there would be "Everlasting consequences.”
***
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
6/24/2025
12:47 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: The Bush team manipulated and cherry-picked information to manufacture a false pretext for the war. Trump, on the other hand, openly contradicted his own intelligence director on camera, in front of everyone.
REPORTER: What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Your intelligence community has said they have no evidence that they are at this point.
DONALD TRUMP: Well, then my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?
REPORTER: Your director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.
TRUMP: She's wrong.
MEYERS: So, is she fired then? I mean, according to you, she's wrong about the single most consequential military decision of your presidency so far, and you're just gonna what, let that slide? Also, what do you mean by "who said that?" She's your own intelligence director. Trump reacts like Carrie when the others confront her about an affair. "I heard Big stopped by last night." "Who told you that? Steve? Well, Steve is wrong." "Oh, gosh, Carrie, I mean — I — I could be wrong. I'm not trying to make trouble. I just thought I saw him go in your —"
My impression battery is dead. A Mike and a Steve in the same "Closer look," baby. That's how you know [bleep] going down.
All of this has led to questions about whether the Trump team is even listening to its own intelligence experts. But JD Vance put that question to rest on Sunday.
KRISTEN WELKER: Do you and President Trump trust the U.S. Intelligence community and its assessments?
JD VANCE: Oh, of course we trust our intelligence community, but we also trust our instincts.
MEYERS: Well, that puts me at ease. I'm glad we bombed a country based on instincts, especially the instincts of Donald Trump and JD Vance, two of the weirdest human beings on the planet.
…
MEYERS: Yeah, duh. It makes total sense. It's like a husband who says to his wife, "Honey, I'm not in love with your sister. I'm just in love with the blue sundress she wore to our barbecue. Honey?" But you heard the president's team. They made it clear this is not about regime change, and I'm sure the president listens to them, and respects their opinion, and won't immediately contradict them a few hours later."
SAM STEIN: President Trump is floating the idea of regime change in Iran.
KRISTEN HOLMES: He wrote, "It's not politically correct to use the term regime change, but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change.” And then he wrote out "M-I-G-A"
MEYERS: Okay, first of all, MIGA is a horrible acronym. That sounds like how a 14-year-old valley girl reacts when her boyfriend dumps her. "Oh, MIGA." Second, only Trump could take this moment to claim it's politically incorrect to say regime change, like the problem is woke culture and not him dropping bombs without even telling Congress about it. [TRUMP VOICE] "We used to be able to say regime change, but now they make us say leadership fluidity. And it's very sad." The public was overwhelmingly opposed to any military intervention in the Middle East, which is why Trump is sending mixed messages and trying to have it both ways. He's trying everything to keep the pro-war and anti-war sides of his MAGA coalition intact.
***
HBO Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
6/22/2025
11:09 PM ET
JOHN OLIVER: And as for what this would actually accomplish, some experts suggest a successful attack would simply set Iran's nuclear program back by a year or two. Which is pretty galling, given Trump arguably got us into this situation in the first place, after abandoning the Iran nuclear deal back in 2018. America getting directly involved here would massively escalate things, with no guarantee regarding what the outcome would be. And yet, we're right on the edge of doing exactly that. As for whether Trump actually calls a strike, it seems that nobody — including him — has any real idea.
DONALD TRUMP: You don't know that I’m going to even do it. You don’t know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.
OLIVER: I mean, I will say — he's not technically wrong there. The problem is that when Trump says that, he thinks it makes him sound like a chess master, when in reality it makes him sound like a cow flying a plane. “Nobody knows what I'm gonna do, but it's reasonable to assume it's not going to end great!”
So, in the meantime, we're in limbo. We're taping this on Saturday, so by the time this airs, who knows what could've happened? Maybe the situation's unchanged. Maybe Trump already dropped the MOP. Maybe Ted Cruz spent the last few days reading A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind just to spite Tucker Carlson, but fell in love with the country's rich cultural tapestry and decided to move to Tehran. Who really knows?
But right now, I know three things for sure: This situation is very worrying, we don't want to be dragged into yet another war in the Middle East, and for the record: If there's ever an explosion, a fire drill, or even a medium-sized mouse anywhere near this desk, unlike near this desk, unlike this woman, I'm fucking out of here.
