In January 2025, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Desi Lydic and Jimmy Fallon turned Donald Trump’s remarks about Greenland and Canada into late-night material. Their responses ranged from quick jokes to broader commentary: Meyers, in particular, argued that the spectacle could draw attention away from other political developments. These responses came after Trump’s January 7 press conference, where he discussed Canada becoming a U.S. state and declined to rule out coercion involving Greenland and the Panama Canal.
What Trump said at the January 7 press conference
At a January 7, 2025, press conference at Mar-a-Lago, then President-elect Donald Trump declined to assure reporters that he would avoid military or economic coercion regarding Greenland and the Panama Canal. CNN’s transcript distinguishes those remarks from his discussion of Canada: Trump spoke of economic force in connection with Canada and said he wanted the country to become a U.S. state. The transcript is labeled a rush transcript and may be updated.
Later in January, the Associated Press reported that Trump reiterated his desire to purchase Greenland and said Denmark’s refusal would be “a very unfriendly act.” AP also reported that he said Canada “should be a state.” These were statements reported in January 2025; they do not establish present policy or completed action.
How the hosts framed the remarks
| Host | What the coverage reports | Shape of the response |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Kimmel | Mocked the press conference and the proposed “Gulf of America” name. He likened Trump’s approach to Canada to Darth Vader tempting someone to “come to the dark side, or else,” and joked about buying Greenland and leaving his son there. | Jokes about both Canada and Greenland, within a broader mockery of the press conference. |
| Seth Meyers | Called the press conference one of Trump’s most insane and joked about the Greenland threat and the wider stream of claims. He also argued that the spectacle could distract media and viewers from other political developments. | Jokes broadened into commentary about political news and attention. |
| Stephen Colbert | Joked about the Gulf renaming and the exhaustion of following political news. The roundups also say he noted Trump’s description of the U.S.–Canada border as “artificially drawn” while pitching Canada as a state. | Commentary on the press conference and the surrounding news cycle. |
| Desi Lydic | Used the Greenland comments to criticize Trump’s agenda and the tendency to treat each new proposal as serious political art. | Critique of the agenda and how its proposals are received. |
| Jimmy Fallon | Joked about sending the army to Greenland and a proctologist to the Panama Canal. | A short punchline, rather than an extended policy response. |
The comparison is about comic approach and framing, not a ranking of the hosts’ factual accuracy. The cited roundups cover several broadcasts, not every late-night response, and the hosts did not all address Greenland and Canada in equal depth.
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From punchlines to a warning about attention
Kimmel’s jokes about Canada and Greenland
In his January 7 broadcast, Kimmel treated the press conference as comic material. His Canada joke framed Trump’s statehood pitch as a menacing invitation; his Greenland joke riffed on the idea of buying the island and leaving his son there. A roundup quoted him saying, “For whatever reason, he loves terrorizing our allies.”
Meyers on the wider news cycle
Meyers’ January 8 segment paired jokes about Trump’s remarks with a broader argument: dramatic statements can absorb public and media attention, potentially crowding out other political developments. That was Meyers’ interpretation of the effect of the spectacle, not an independently established motive behind Trump’s remarks. The roundup quoted him: “My man is in mid-season form already.”
Colbert, Lydic and Fallon on the spectacle
Colbert’s jokes included the proposed Gulf renaming and the strain of following political news; the January 9 roundup also highlighted his point about Trump calling the U.S.–Canada border “artificially drawn.” A roundup quoted Colbert saying, “It’s going to be a long four years.”
Lydic used the Greenland comments to make a broader criticism of Trump’s agenda. The roundup quoted her: “He’s not even on America’s payroll yet, but he’s already causing chaos.” Fallon’s reported joke about Greenland and the Panama Canal was briefer, using an absurd pairing of the army and a proctologist rather than developing a policy argument.
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Broadcast timing matters
Kimmel and Taylor Tomlinson canceled their January 8 broadcasts because of the Los Angeles wildfires, according to LateNighter. Kimmel’s response discussed here was from January 7; it should not be mistaken for a second broadcast response on January 8.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these clips do—and do not—show
The roundups provide a snapshot of reactions to a particular burst of January 2025 news. They show how several hosts used satire to respond to Trump’s statements, and how Meyers widened his segment into a point about attention and competing political stories. They do not constitute a complete inventory of late-night coverage, establish the hosts’ views beyond the reported segments, or document subsequent policy developments.
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