When Stephen Colbert sprinted out in front of his studio audience on Tuesday night, he looked nothing like a man who has been fighting the leader of the free world for 41 tireless days—he looked more like an Olympic athlete who had just won gold, and this live show was his victory lap. On Tuesday night, President Trump gave his first speech to Congress, a spectacle of little substance that lasted until after 10 p.m. After that, Colbert and his team had one hour to make jokes. He had no time to prep the audience—this was live TV, time had to be exact. And three million people were watching.

With it fresh on everyone's mind, Colbert immediately began a methodical breakdown of Trump's speech.

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Trump's speech was the tamest he's ever given. Sure, it was short on facts, but Trump somehow didn't throw a tantrum in front of Congress. That didn't leave Colbert with much easy material to work with. Yet with little writing time, he managed to dig into a few of Trump's more nonsensical points—like Trump's plan to create task forces to de-regulate government agencies. "We're gonna reduce government by adding people to the government," Colbert said. "It's like how the key to not getting hungover is just to never stop drinking."

Though he ran the risk of alienating viewers during his time as Late Show host, Colbert has never backed off. His politics have always been clear (even when he was satirizing right-leaning cable news with The Colbert Report). Yet he's still able to give it to the other side when it's deserved.

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He saved a little fire for the Democrats, too, making fun of former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear's rebuttal "from your normal, relatable, everyday diner where everyone faces the same direction in terrified silence." Colbert said:

"People who believe that Donald Trump is an existential threat to this nation, to the experiment of democracy, to Western civilization itself, take heart, because for their powerful rebuttal, the Democrats showed a rerun of The Andy Griffith Show."

Colbert has led late night TV during the first four weeks of Trump's presidency. And last night's show proved why he's become one of the most dominant voices on television. While his competitors are playing goofy, lovable hosts, Colbert refuses to ignore the severity of Trump's administration. Colbert isn't here to distract you—he's here to point at it and laugh at it with you. He's been doing this from day one, and after refusing to quit despite troubling ratings in mid 2016, audiences are realizing that they want someone unafraid to look directly into the defeated face of Lady Liberty.

Colbert's last live show was on Election Night. As results trickled in and the future of the country became clear, Colbert did his best to keep his heartbroken audience—and his guests—hopeful, and when the cameras stopped rolling he told his audience "The election is over, you survived." And Colbert survived, too, in a way. After the last few weeks of rating dominance, he has a rejuvenated energy. Last night's performance was further proof.

If Colbert has made anything clear in the infancy of his time hosting The Late Show, it's that he won't stop fighting. Even after four weeks, when he could have gotten comfortable in his sudden surge in popularity, he challenged himself to a live show. During commercial breaks he was furiously working with producers crossing material off his cards, taking notes. He kept it going through his interview with Josh Earnest, President Obama's White House Press Secretary. And he almost couldn't turn it off when Lisa Kudrow sat down. He almost got into politics with Phoebe from Friends, before he realized he needed to switch to fun mode—which he did.

After the show, sipping a whiskey, he told the audience that live shows are tough—they're restricted by time. "But it gives them a sense of urgency," Colbert said. Let's hope he never loses that urgency—at least for the next four years.

Matt Miller Culture Editor Matt is the Culture Editor at Esquire where he covers music, movies, books, and TV—with an emphasis on all things Star Wars, Marvel, and Game of Thrones.

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