Watch “Emperor” Obama Take Over Hosting Duties for Colbert

“You’ve taken plenty of shots at my job. I’m going to take a shot at yours.”

And with that, President Obama seized control of a special D.C. edition of “The Colbert Report” last night, leading off by taking over hosting duties for the latest installment of “The Word,” or as the president promptly renamed, “The Decree.”

Later on, the two sat down and discussed everything from the midterm elections to the nuclear launch codes. Regarding immigration reform, Colbert asked his guest, “You realize you’re an emperor now…Why did you burn the Constitution and become an emperor?”

Colbert, who will be replacing David Letterman over at the “Late Show” soon, concluded the special appearance with a suggestion that melded both immigration legislation and Keystone into one bizarre policy proposal. The president declined: “Stephen, that sounds like a ridiculous idea. But that’s why you’re where you are, and I’m where I am.”

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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