Late-night circuit rejoices as Trump heads to Switzerland

Late-night hosts had to search a litter harder for comedy material Wednesday.

ByABC News
January 25, 2018, 4:42 AM

— -- Late-night T.V. hosts had to search a little harder for material on Wednesday as one of their favorite targets, President Trump, made his way to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.

"We were in the office today, just kind of hanging out, waiting for something to happen like it does every day. And nothing really happened, which was strange," Jimmy Kimmel, host of "Live," said during his opening monologue Wednesday. "And then I realized, oh yeah, the reason it's quiet is because Donald Trump is on a plane right now. He's out of the country!"

"It felt like skull island after they abducted King Kong," he added.

Trump, who departed for Davos on Wednesday evening, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the forum on Friday morning. He's also expected to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

It will be the first time in nearly 20 years that a U.S. president has attended the event, which is considered by some as a haven for the world's ultra-rich.

PHOTO: A sign reading "Davos," pictured prior to the World Economic Forum WEF in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 12, 2018.
A sign reading "Davos," pictured prior to the World Economic Forum WEF in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 12, 2018. WEF says international security, the environment and the global economy will be at the 48th annual meeting of business leaders, civil society advocates, academics, artistic celebrities and others in the Swiss Alpine resort from Jan. 23-26, 2018.

"He'll only be there for a night, but that should be plenty of time for him to say something racist," Kimmel joked. "Trump plans to tell the world that America is open for business and who better to make that declaration than a man who declared bankruptcy six different times."

"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" also decided to address the proverbial elephant that was not in the room.

"I gotta say, you guys -- you guys are looking good. You're looking good out there, America," Colbert said in his Wednesday opening. "I've got to ask -- have you lost weight? Like, maybe 239 pounds? Because Donald Trump has left the country."

Colbert also acknowledged the criticism surrounding Trump's visit.

"Trump's entire campaign for president was against the globalization and the world's elite. So why's he going?” he asked, adding that Trump would be speaking to elite members of the "establishment" that he claims to oppose.

The president, however, attempted to answer that question while delivering a speech to on Wednesday, telling mayors gathered at the White House that he planned to pitch his "America First" message while there.

"I'm going to Davos right now to get people to invest into the United States," Trump said Wednesday. "I'm going to say, 'Come into the United States, you have plenty of money.'"

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