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Stephen Colbert Trolls Trump On Russian TV, Announces 2020 Presidential Run, ‘Solicits’ Russia’s Assistance

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 22:46 PST, Jun 23, 2017

On Friday, while in St. Petersburg, as part of his highly publicized trip to Russia to film upcoming segments of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert trolled President Donald Trump by making a big announce on the late-night Russian talk show Evening Urgant. Amid vodka shots, Colbert announced his 2020 presidential run and asked Russians to let him know if they want to work for his campaign.

Earlier on Thursday, The Late Show host had sent a message to President Donald Trump on Twitter, informing him that he was in Russia. He promised Trump that he would bring back the James Comey tapes from Moscow if he could find them. He then made an appearance on Evening Urgant on Friday.

Evening Urgant is a popular late-night Russian talk show, with host Ivan Urgant. Colbert made his big announcement on the show, pretending that he believed no one in the U.S. was watching because his message was meant exclusively for Russians who might want to join his campaign, unofficially, for a reenactment of “Russian collusion.”

Joining the host Ivan Urgant, he announced while downing several shots of vodka that he was running for U.S. president in 2020.

“To the beautiful and friendly Russian people,” he said as he took a vodka shot. “I don’t understand why no members of the Trump administration can remember meeting you.”

“By the way, can I announce something? I’m here in Russia,” he asked, taking another vodka shot.

He then paused and asked his host, “This is not showing in the United States?”

After being assured that only Russians were watching the show, he proceeded to make the announcement.

“I’m here to announce that I am considering a run for president in 2020,” he said.

Some viewers might have thought that Colbert was serious about his announcement after the failure of his first presidential bid in 2007. But others suspected that he might have been speaking under the influence after taking so many shots of vodka. However, some surmised quickly that he was trolling Trump and possibly also President Vladimir Putin.

“I thought it would be better to cut out the middle man and just tell the Russians myself,” he added to loud applause from his Russian studio audience.

“If anyone would like to work on my campaign in an unofficial capacity, please just let me know.”

“A strong America, a strong Russia,” he toasted, taking yet another vodka shot.

“I’d like to make a toast to the beautiful country of the USA, which invented the Internet. Thanks to it, we can meddle with US elections,” Urgant responded.

He also wished Colbert good luck in his presidential run, promising Russian assistance to get him elected

“To you, Stephen! Good luck! We’ll do everything possible to make sure you get elected.”

Stephen Colbert first announced a run for president in 2007 as his alter ego on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. He later announced that he had abandoned the effort because he was unable to secure a place on the Republican primary ballots in South Carolina, his home state. He also reportedly paid a fee of $2,500 to be included on the Democratic ballot, but his request was denied.

Donald Trump’s success is proving to be a source of inspiration to other celebrities. Last month, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced his presidential bid on Saturday Night Live and even introduced Tom Hanks as his running mate.

“I didn’t think I was qualified at all, but now I’m actually worried that I’m too qualified,” Johnson said tongue-in-cheek.

[Featured Image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]

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