The latest chapter in late night comedy’s degeneration into liberal group cathartic therapy was written on Monday as CBS’s Stephen Colbert led The Late Show audience in a “Yes, we can” chant after hyping a balloon at a No Kings rally that featured President Trump defecating fire on the Constitution and wondering if such things could help prevent the rise of fascism in America.
During his ode to No Kings, Colbert hyped some of the signs, “There were protest signs and they were just great. ‘They came for Minnesota and we said, 'Ope, no, you don't.'’ ‘Does this ass make my country look small?’ ‘No faux king way,’ ‘The Turd Reich,’ and, ‘Jimmy Kimmel has higher ratings than you.’ I like that one. I really like that one.”
Stephen Colbert hypes some No Kings protestors including "Perhaps the most impressive of it all was this inflatable Trump pooping directly onto the constitution. That is spectacular craftsmanship. Above all else. Whoever made that should be proud. 'Cause one day, their grandchild… pic.twitter.com/2xLe33ypNl
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) March 31, 2026
Colbert would reveal that the Kimmel one was actually just a graphic his team made of Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez holding a sign. Meanwhile, "The Turd Reich" sign not only featured President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, U.K. Reform Party leader Nigel Farage, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Nazi uniforms—which is one of the hallmarks of anti-Semitism—but also lumped them in with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Still, Colbert rolled on, “People also wore some fun costumes, like there were rally frogs and this anti-Trump Chewbacca. Of course, Chewie was just channeling the revolutionary words of Patrick Henry, ‘Give me liberty or give me aaarrrrllggghhh!’ But perhaps—is that how you spell it?”
Moving on to his favorite, Colbert declared, “Perhaps the most impressive of it all was this inflatable Trump pooping directly onto the Constitution. That is spectacular craftsmanship. Above all else. Whoever made that should be proud. 'Cause one day, their grandchild will ask them how they resisted the rise of American fascism, and they can proudly say, ‘Well, Tyler. Your grandma and I worked round the clock with a team of fellow patriots to answer the essential question of democracy: Can we make an angry balloon that looks like it's pooping fire? Yes, you can.’”
Colbert tried to move on, but his audience wouldn’t let him, “One reason so many people showed—yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!”
He then stood silently for a brief moment while the audience chanted, “Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!”
Colbert quipped, “I think that's what Obama meant, right?”
To call the Trump-fire-defecating balloon childish would be an insult to children. Colbert, his audience, and the protestors may think they are clowning on a fascist with a fragile ego, but they are really simply outing themselves as profoundly unserious people. When the history of the Trump presidency is written, nobody will write that democracy was saved because of that balloon.
Here is a transcript for the March 30 show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
3/30/2026
11:40 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: There were protest signs and they were just great. "They came for Minnesota and we said 'Ope, no, ya don't.'" “Does this ass make my country look small?"
"No faux king way," "The Turd Reich," and, "Jimmy Kimmel has higher ratings than you." I like that one. I really like that one. Can we see who was carrying that sign? I knew it. People also wore some fun costumes, like there were rally frogs and this anti-Trump Chewbacca. Of course, Chewie was just channeling the revolutionary words of Patrick Henry, "Give me liberty or give me aaarrrrllggghhh!" But perhaps—is that how you spell it?
Perhaps the most impressive of it all was this inflatable Trump pooping directly onto the Constitution. That is spectacular craftsmanship. Above all else. Whoever made that should be proud. 'Cause one day, their grandchild will ask them how they resisted the rise of American fascism, and they can proudly say, "Well, Tyler. Your grandma and I worked round the clock with a team of fellow patriots to answer the essential question of democracy: Can we make an angry balloon that looks like it's pooping fire? Yes, you can.”
One reason so many people showed—yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
COLBERT: I think that's what Obama meant, right?
