Stephen Colbert penned new poem for Trump-age Statue of Liberty
Stephen Colbert offered an update to the poem on the Statue of Liberty — one he thinks will better align with the Trump administration’s new plans for immigration.
“Give me your wealthy, your rich, your huddled MBAs yearning to be tax free. Send these — the English-speaking, fully insured — to me,” he recited on The Late Show Thursday. “I lift my lamp beside the golden door and lift my leg upon your filthy poor. P.S. No fatties, please.”
The late-night TV host mocked new immigration guidelines set forth by the government and Trump advisor Stephen Miller’s response in defending them. During a confrontation with a journalist at a press briefing, Miller said, “I don’t want to get into a whole thing about history here, but the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of liberty and lighting the world. It’s a symbol of American liberty lighting the world. The poem that you’re referring to was added later, it’s not actually a part of the original Statue of Liberty.”
Colbert, impersonating Miller’s voice, lampooned, “The torch was originally a weapon intended to ward off immigrants, who actually fear fire, and the spikes on her crown were meant to deter foreigners from landing in hot air balloons. Look it up.”
“First off,” he added, “I have never seen a presidential administration refuse to fully endorse the Statue of Liberty. What are they gonna do next?” This time channeling Trump, he said, “I don’t know. Liberty Bell? I like bells that don’t crack.”
The president supported a bill this week that intends to cut legal immigration and replace employment-based vistas with a point system.
“Here’s the thing about the poem on the Statue of Liberty, I agree with Stephen Miller that we’re never gonna live up to it,” Colbert said. “It’s an aspirational document, like love your neighbor as yourself, or all men are created equal, or employees must wash hands before returning to work. It’s something to strive for.”
Watch the segment in the video above.
