--- title: Stephen Colbert Is Convinced This Is Trump’s Driving Force description: Colbert believes the president isn't signing a resolution to fund the government thanks to advice from his top advisor: the television. canonical: https://time.com/5486658/stephen-colbert-monologue-last-night/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-12-21T15:30:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:56:35.983Z og:title: Stephen Colbert Is Convinced This Is Trump’s Driving Force og:description: Is this President's top advisor? og:url: https://time.com/5486658/stephen-colbert-monologue-last-night/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8a1a838fb745d06/6989403486f68eda9e6ead34/screen-shot-2018-11-29-at-10-14-46-am.png?branch=production&width=1104&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1104 og:image:height: 621 og:image:alt: Stephen-Colbert-Trump-Christmas-Carol og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stephen Colbert Is Convinced This Is Trump’s Driving Force twitter:description: Is this President's top advisor? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8a1a838fb745d06/6989403486f68eda9e6ead34/screen-shot-2018-11-29-at-10-14-46-am.png?branch=production&width=1104&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Stephen Colbert Is Convinced This Is the Driving Force Behind Trump > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d242e769-dc49-4a23-ba5a-5468d41f502b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 21, 2018 3:30 PM UTC  CBS/The Late Show With Stephen Colbert by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 21, 2018 3:30 PM UTC As a government [shutdown looms](http://time.com/5486379/house-funding-trump-border-wall-shutdown/), Stephen Colbert is taking nothing for granted anymore. “Yesterday I was confident that America would still have a government, but I underestimated what a wedge we have in the White House,” said Colbert, adding: “I say ‘wedge’ because it’s the simplest of tools.” At one point yesterday, the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the White House were on board with a national spending plan that would have kept the federal government open for business. But it did not meet the President’s demand for the $5 billion [Trump](http://time.com/5485660/syria-trump-isis-assad/) wanted for his border wall. At one point Trump backed off on this demand saying that he had [other ways](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-signals-its-backing-down-in-shutdown-dispute-will-find-other-ways-to-fund-border-wall/2018/12/18/159994dc-02d9-11e9-9122-82e98f91ee6f%5Fstory.html) of getting the funding for the wall, which Colbert joked was “putting a lot of pressure on Eric and Don Jr.’s lemonade stand.” Then, according to Colbert, Trump started to get heat from “the fourth branch of government: Fox News.” After showing a montage of Fox News pundits denouncing Trump’s budget approval as caving to the Democrats. Colbert joked that when Trump saw that, he had to fight back. “Oh no! The TV’s mad at me!,” Colbert said in an imitation of [Trump](http://time.com/5486290/jim-mattis-retiring-trump-confirms/). “I’m sorry TV please forgive me, you’re my only friend.” According to Colbert, the voices on the television spurred Trump into action and he is now threatening a shutdown (and [building the case that the the Democrats](http://time.com/5486572/trump-tweets-shutdown/) are to blame for it). 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