What Was Stephen Colbert's Christmas Classic? 'Late Show' Unveils 'Once Upon Impeachment'

Comedian Stephen Colbert created what he described as “a new Christmas classic” this week, taking a jab at President Trump and the impeachment saga with “Once Upon Impeachment.”

The animated clip aired Thursday on “The Late Show,” opening with Santa taking calls at the North Pole, promising one child 2 million TikTok likes and telling another he cannot reverse global warming on his own.

He then fields a call from an animated Trump, who refers to the Jolly Old Elf as “Crooked Krinkle” and the two exchange a bit of small talk about the busy season that concludes with Santa asking for the “plutonium that Congress approved” to help speed gift production.

The cartoon Trump then asks for a “favor,” an apparent reference to Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky during which Trump asked for a “favor”: an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. At the time, Trump was withholding $391 in military aid to Ukraine.

The favor the cartoon Trump seeks is access to a wary Santa’s naughty and nice list. When Santa asks why, cartoon Trump says he’s looking for dirt on Biden in exchange for the plutonium. Santa caves and turns the list over after an animated Rudy Giuliani arrives by helicopter and threatens to harm Frosty the Snowman unless Santa delivers the goods.

The clip includes an animated Wolf Blitzer who reports a “second whistleblower” emerges with details on the Santa-Trump phone call.

The cartoon then goes into an impeachment trial featuring Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is expected to lead a real Senate impeachment trial, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the impeachment investigation.

Santa testifies, lamenting: “He [Trump] told you every naughty thing he ever did, and you still elected him president.”

Santa then reminds Graham and Giuliani about the nice things they once did as Trump watches the testimony on a cellphone while ordering up a drone strike on the North Pole.

Santa closes by invoking John F. Kennedy: “And so, ask not who’s been naughty to you. Ask who you can be nice to.”