‘The dumbest criminal in the world’: Late night hosts pour scorn on Trump amid arrest claims

James Corden and other talk-show hosts have savaged former US president Donald Trump over his recent legal struggles.

Last week, Trump claimed that he would be arrested on Tuesday 21 March, calling on his followers to “protest” and “take our nation back”.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is expected to file charges against Trump relating to an alleged “hush money” payment made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. However, it is not yet known exactly when or even if the indictments will be handed down.

Former Gavin & Stacey star Corden discussed the news on his US chat show The Late Late Show, joking to the studio audience: “You know it’s bad when a former president announces he’s going to be arrested, and the general response is: ‘For which crime?’

“If you’re keeping track, that’s two times Stormy Daniels has screwed Donald Trump,” Corden added.

His joke refers to the alleged sexual tryst between Daniels and the ex-president, which may lie at the centre of the impending charges.

Corden then referred to the reports that New York City is “already bracing for unrest” following Trump’s incendiary call to “take our nation back”.

“Of course Trump urged his followers to protest in New York,” he joked. “Like, what else is he going to urge them to do? ‘Go see Ben Platt in Parade. It just opened to magnificent reviews on Broadway.’

“Here’s the thing: this story, it turns out Trump may have just pulled ‘Tuesday’ out of thin air. The Grand Jury haven’t even voted to indict, with more testimony given before the Grand Jury today [Monday],” Corden continued.

“I like that even Trump’s going, ‘I don’t need to wait until this is over to know that I’m guilty, man... I’m guilty as sin.”

The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon also addressed the Trump scandal in his opening monologue, joking to viewers: “You’ve got to give it to him. It’s not often that everyone sends out a save-the-date for their own arrest.”

“Police are going to be like, ‘You have the right to remain silent – now, but also in general. Just think about it. Just something to think about’.”

Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! also weighed in on the news, quipping: “He knows it’s Melania’s birthday next month and she might finally get her wish.

“So many of his legal problems are based on him being an idiot,” Kimmel continued. “In every case, the reason he is in trouble is because he is the dumbest criminal in the world.”

A number of other celebrities have also spoken out against Trump following his claims about the impending charges, including Stephen King and George Takei.

You can keep up to date with the latest developments on the story here.

John Oliver, meanwhile, lampooned a bizarre campaign video from Trump on his HBO comedy series on Sunday.