Stephen Colbert took aim at CBS on Monday, criticizing his own network for opting to air President Donald Trump’s address scheduled for Tuesday evening.
“My network will be carrying Trump’s Wall speech live,” the late-night host tweeted. “So at 9pm Tuesday, tune into CBS to See B.S.”
My network will be carrying Trump’s Wall speech live. So at 9pm Tuesday, tune into CBS to See B.S.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) January 8, 2019
The president is set to address the nation Tuesday from the Oval Office and is expected to speak about the partial government shutdown, as well as his demands for funding a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Damaris Alejandra Tejeda, 15, a migrant from Honduras, part of a caravan of thousands traveling from Central America en route to the United States, poses in front of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico, November 23, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Several major networks initially debated whether or not to air the address at all, reportedly questioning whether that would make them platforms for untruths. (RELATED: Networks Debate Whether To Air Trump’s National Address On Immigration)
TV exec texts: “He calls us fake news all the time, but needs access to airwaves… If we give him the time, he’ll deliver a fact-free screed without rebuttal. And if we don’t give him the time, he’ll call every network partisan. So we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 7, 2019
Even as the networks considered their options, Democratic leadership in Congress made a play for equal time, demanding a chance to rebut the president’s comments. Colbert’s network, CBS, joined with Fox News, Fox Business, NBC and CNN in deciding to air both Trump’s speech and the Democratic response to be delivered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
