"Fake news" became 2017's word of the year, according to dictionary publisher Collins. And now one of President Donald Trump's favorite phrases has inspired him to announce "awards" in the same vein.
On Wednesday, Trump tweeted: "I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o'clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!"
Now, the hosts of two late-night chat shows in the U.S. are ready to enter the awards. Stephen Colbert of "The Late Show" on CBS and Trevor Noah of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" have both released spoof pitches for the president's consideration.
Noah's entry shows the host with a series of quotes including "Isn't 'The Daily Show' a fake news show?" from news program Fox & Friends, which appeared on the show's Twitter feed as well as a full-page ad in The New York Times on Friday.
Meanwhile, the entry from "The Late Show" features Colbert sitting pensively at a 1950s-style desk pondering a document labeled "fake dossier," and features a previous quote from Trump, calling him a "no talent guy" Colbert also referred to the awards as the "Fakies," on his show Wednesday night.
Colbert's entry, styled like a movie poster, enters all "categories" including "fakest dishonesty," "corruptest fakeness," and "smallest button," in reference to Trump's Tuesday tweet that his "nuclear button" is bigger and more powerful than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's.
Michael Wolff, author of explosive book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," was also cited by people on Twitter as a potential award "recipient". White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the book "trash", "fraudulent" and "tabloid gossip" on Thursday.