Stephen Colbert says he originally came up with alligator moat idea: ‘Trump is stealing all my bits’
Stephen Colbert has something to say about the New York Times report on President Trump privately discussing the idea of “fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators” – it was his idea first.
The Late Show host built a whole monologue on Wednesday about how he actually was the first one to dream up the gator patrol. "Trump is stealing all my bits. What gives?" (Watch above, with the whole thing beginning at the 1:15 mark.)
To prove his point, Colbert presented a 2011 news clip of former President Barack Obama, who is speaking sarcastically about the ever-increasing demands of the GOP for tougher border security. “Maybe they’ll need a moat,” Obama said. “Maybe they'll want alligators in the moat."
As the audience roared with laughter, Colbert moved on to his key argument."[Obama] also plagiarized that joke from this guy I used to know who used to play a conservative pundit on a comedy show," he said.
He then showed to clips from Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, where Colbert himself discusses moats and reptiles a mind-boggling amount of times in character.
The first clip, dated 2006, had Colbert ranting, "We need a moat. We need it filled with fire, maybe with some fireproof crocodiles in there."
A little later in 2006: "I want a 20-foot high wall, 2,000 miles long so you can see it from space. There's a moat full of fire, with fireproof crocodiles."
And in 2014: "I say wall, moat filled with flames, fireproof alligators."
Crystal ball action aside, Colbert also mused about the practicalities of obtaining enough alligators to do the job. “Who do you call? Where do you shop for 2000 miles of moat-gator? ‘Hi is this Petco? Asking for a friend—can I order alligators in bulk?’”
President Trump has since denied calling for such measures, tweeting "I may be tough on Border Security, but not that tough.”
Now the press is trying to sell the fact that I wanted a Moat stuffed with alligators and snakes, with an electrified fence and sharp spikes on top, at our Southern Border. I may be tough on Border Security, but not that tough. The press has gone Crazy. Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2019
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