Stephen Colbert has turned the tables on the president, calling for the same standard Trump said he wanted for Iran’s next leader.
On February 28, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an air strike at one of his residences in Tehran. The strike was carried out under Operation Epic Fury, described as a joint effort between Israel and the United States.
With Iran suddenly left without its top figure, Donald Trump weighed in publicly on what he believed should come next in choosing Iran’s leadership.
Trump has also inserted himself into debate over Venezuela’s political future following the US military’s removal of President Nicolás Maduro from office in January. Maduro has remained in federal custody since then.
After Maduro’s removal, Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim president, and Trump has since formally recognized Rodríguez as the country’s new leader.
Following the killing of Iran’s leader, the president argued the US shouldn’t be forced to repeat similar military actions in the future and said he wanted a different type of figure in charge.
“We don’t want to come back every five years or every 10 years and do this. So, we want to pick a president that’s not gonna be leading their country into a war.”
Iran has since named Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new supreme leader, and he delivered his first national address today (March 12).
Despite Trump’s earlier remarks, he had no role in the selection process. In Iran, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for appointing the country’s supreme leader.
Reacting to Trump’s comments about wanting a leader who wouldn’t steer Iran “into war,” Stephen Colbert raised a pointed question during The Late Show.
“When can we pick one of those?”
The line drew loud cheers from the studio audience.
Later in the monologue, Colbert also joked that it was “rude” for Iran to choose Khamenei’s son, and poked fun at the idea of whether Trump’s preferred options—one of which he suggested was Kid Rock—were ever considered.
After Mojtaba Khamenei took power, Iran issued a warning directed at Trump that referenced a potential assassination attempt.
“The Ashura nation of Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Be careful not to be eliminated!”
Trump responded by saying Iran would face total destruction if any attempt were made on his life.
“That would be the end,” he said. “I’ve left instructions. If they do it, they would be obliterated. There wouldn’t be anything left.”