Trump Kids in Court Are a Comedy Goldmine for Late-Night Hosts

As Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. took to the stand this week in the civil lawsuit accusing their family and the Trump Organization of fraudulently inflating the company's assets, late-night hosts poked fun at the brothers during their opening monologues.

Eric took the witness stand for the first time Thursday after his elder brother, Donald Jr., finished up cross-examination that same morning. Donald Trump's two oldest sons are listed alongside their father as defendants in New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million lawsuit.

The former president has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said the case is a political witch hunt. He is the Republican primary frontrunner by a large margin over his rivals.

Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert tried to make sense of the civil fraud trial during their shows last night. They all took the opportunity to make light of the court case, including a variety of jokes about the two brothers.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Kimmel, Fallon, and Colbert, as well as to a Trump representative, for comment via email Friday.

Jimmy Fallon

The 49-year-old took a few quick jabs at Eric and Donald Jr. near the beginning of his monologue on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, to applause from the crowd.

"Today, following Donald Trump Jr.'s testimony, Eric Trump took the witness stand in the civil fraud trial against his dad. Oh, it was really cute. Eric still had a little green makeup on his face from his Hulk costume. Yeah, it was cute," Fallon said.

"It's actually convenient that all of the Trumps have testified now 'cause they're going to use the courtroom sketches for their holiday card and I think that's smart, I think that's touching."

Jimmy Kimmel

On Jimmy Kimmel Live! not only did the host include zingers in his monologue, but he also included an entertaining voiceover for his audience.

"I haven't seen a more likable set of brothers on trial since the Menendez boys. I don't know about you, it's quite a day and, say what you want about these guys, the camera loves them," Kimmel said as music from the TV show The People's Court started to play in the background.

As court footage was being shown, a voiceover said: "This is the defendant Donald Jr. He's here to show his father that he's a man who can ride the subway all by himself. He's accused of real-estate fraud and hunting house cats without a license.

"This is also the defendant Eric. He claims his family is allowed to break the law because his daddy's name is on buildings," the voiceover added. "He's accused of real-estate fraud and eating glue. What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors; they are actual idiots with a case pending in a New York metropolitan area court, The People's Court."

Kimmel added: "Their father was not there to cheer his sons on. Donald Trump—really, Donald Trump not showing up to watch his kids testify in a fraud trial is the Trump family version of not showing up for their school play.

"Both Don Jr. and Eric claim they couldn't remember much about any of this stuff. Eric repeatedly said, 'I don't focus on the financial side of things.' He said—and this was his real answer—he said, 'I pour concrete.' He said that several times, he said, 'I'm not a money guy, I'm a construction guy.' He's a construction guy like the guy in The Village People is a construction guy. He owns a yellow hat."

Stephen Colbert

Colbert didn't miss an opportunity to take a swipe at the family during his show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, either.

"Now, in Trump's New York financial fraud trial, which is going on presently, the court is hearing testimony from Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric. Or, as Trump calls them, 'The pretty one, the smart one, my favorite, Don Jr., and Eric,'" Colbert said.

He then pivoted to Donald Trump's many legal woes: two federal criminal trials, two federal civil trials, and one state civil fraud trial. Colbert then added that Donald Trump took to Truth Social to blast the judge in the early hours of the morning.

"Like a totally not-worried person would do, Trump wrote this attack on the judge at 2.28 a.m.," Colbert said. "Because nothing says, 'I'm not thinking about you,' like posting at two in the morning. It's like a guy posting a gym selfie with the caption 'Pumpin' the iron at midnight. I don't miss you, Brenda. Say hi to the kids because the judge says I can't.'"