‘We Are Alive and Barely Conscious.’ Stephen Colbert Tackled Trump’s 2018 State of the Union Address Live

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Following President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday, Stephen Colbert 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 — 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.

The remainder of the season will air on Sundays at 8 p.m. on Showtime beginning Feb. 11.

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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com