Stephen Colbert Mocks Trump’s ‘Fire Anthony Fauci’ Retweet

On The Late Show on Monday, Stephen Colbert broke down the latest development in the coronavirus pandemic: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, basically confirmed that Trump mishandled the crisis.

Several outlets highlighted Trump’s failure and mishandling of the pandemic over the weekend, including CNN, who had Fauci on to discuss the matter. “If we had, right from the very beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little bit different,” he told Jake Tapper in a clip. “But there was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then.”

This subtle comment led Trump to retweet a tweet containing the hashtag #FireFauci, which began trending on Twitter. “He’s going to fire Anthony Fauci!” Colbert exclaimed. “The only guy in the room who knows what the hell he’s talking about!”

“And this is always how it happens,” Colbert continued. “He retweets someone saying he should fire somebody — as if he doesn’t have the power to do that — then his staff denies it, then he fires the person anyway and replaces them with the first guest he sees on Fox News. So get ready for new Director of Algae and Infectious Disease, Kid Rock!”

Colbert also mentions that Trump has been bragging that he made Fauci “a star.” “Oh sure,” the host said. “That’s why everybody goes into infectious disease. To be a star.”

The host also commented on the possibility that Trump could end the stay-at-home order as early as May 1st, because “staying at home could also lead to death also.” Trump first left that decision up to individual states, but now he’s claiming it’s his decision.

“Nope, sorry Chester,” he said. “Reopening the country is not up to you. Because you didn’t have the balls to shut the country down in the first place. You were the one who said you were just a cheerleader. You put yourself on the sidelines. Cheerleaders don’t get a Super Bowl trophy. In fact, they barely get paid. They’re just supposed to look good and spell words right. And you can’t do either.”