Trump trashes Colbert's high
Salon.com • • general
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump claimed Stephen Colbert had “no ratings” upon his departure from *The Late Show*, but Nielsen data showed Colbert’s finale attracted about 6.74 million viewers, the highest of his tenure.
- Colbert’s farewell significantly outperformed recent viewership averages and other late-night shows, contradicting Trump’s narrative of declining popularity.
- Trump escalated the feud by posting an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting himself humiliating Colbert, which drew criticism for its disturbing imagery and was seen as a trolling tactic.
- This episode highlights Trump’s use of AI-generated visuals and symbolic narratives on social media to portray dominance over opponents rather than engaging with factual data or traditional media discourse.
- In response, Colbert and *The Late Show* simply posted a photo with the caption “thank you!” signaling a measured and understated reply to the controversy.