--- title: Trump State of the Union Address: Stephen Colbert Goes Live description: Following President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address on Tuesday, Stephen Colbert went live to give his take on the speech. canonical: https://time.com/5121001/stephen-colbert-live-trump-state-of-the-union/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-31T05:12:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:50:07.796Z og:title: Stephen Colbert Tackled Trump's State of the Union Speech Live og:description: A special episode of the Late Show aired shortly after Trump's address og:url: https://time.com/5121001/stephen-colbert-live-trump-state-of-the-union/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb204664b40b45cad/6988f9a9ab6d77dda96b1813/stephen-colbert-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=612&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 612 og:image:height: 344 og:image:alt: Stephen-Colbert-State-of-the-Union og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stephen Colbert Tackled Trump's State of the Union Speech Live twitter:description: A special episode of the Late Show aired shortly after Trump's address twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb204664b40b45cad/6988f9a9ab6d77dda96b1813/stephen-colbert-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=612&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'We Are Alive and Barely Conscious.' Stephen Colbert Tackled Trump's 2018 State of the Union Address Live > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 31, 2018 5:12 AM UTC  Stephen Colbert arrives for the Showtime Golden Globe Nominees Celebration at Sunset Tower on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Stephen Colbert arrives for the Showtime Golden Globe Nominees Celebration at Sunset Tower on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 31, 2018 5:12 AM UTC Following [President Donald Trump’s](http://time.com/5123973/trump-state-of-the-union-livestream/) first [State of the Union](http://time.com/5125461/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-address/) address on Tuesday, [Stephen Colbert](http://time.com/5124763/stephen-colbert-state-of-the-union-typo/) went live to give his take on the speech. During a special episode of _The Late Show_ that aired shortly after the address came to an end, the late night host responded to Trump’s remarks with a searing opening monologue that kicked off with a jab. “We are alive and barely conscious,” Colbert began. “Here’s the thing. Going into the evening, the bar for success was pretty low.” He went on to remix the president’s announcement of an end to “the war on beautiful, clean coal,” musing, “If I weren’t burning coal, I might be dating it.” Colbert also premiered his new Trump parody animated series, _Our Cartoon President_, as a lead-up to the address. The [first episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time%5Fcontinue=119&v=zbrdfG6CX68) — which was released on Monday — centered on Trump attempting to prepare for his first State of the Union. “We are one year into my Presidency, and it’s time to finally admit I am absolutely crushing it,” animated Trump opened the show. 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