CURIOSITYStephen Colbert Caught Trump Bragging About Something From 22 Years Ago2 min read
The Number Trump Didn’t Want Anyone Talking About
A 32% approval rating is hard to spin. That’s the number sitting over Donald Trump’s presidency right now, driven by a public that’s grown deeply unhappy with his handling of the war in Iran and an inflation rate that keeps biting. It’s not a polling blip — it’s a sustained slide, and everyone in Washington can see it.
Late Show host Stephen Colbert clocked it on Wednesday night. But instead of dwelling on the number itself, he zeroed in on what the president chose to do about it.
A 2004 Article. Posted Twice.
Trump turned to Truth Social. He shared a New York Times article — not from this week, not from last month, not even from this decade. From April 2004. The piece praised the blockbuster ratings of The Apprentice’s debut season, back when “You’re fired” was a cultural catchphrase and Trump was a reality TV phenomenon rather than a sitting president.
Three minutes later, he posted it again. A summary of the same article. Same story, same vintage, same desperation.
What Colbert Heard Between the Lines
Colbert didn’t need long to unpack it. “Always a tipoff that life isn’t going great for you when you start to brag about something from 22 years ago,” he told his audience. Then came the analogy that landed: “You kids think dad’s a loser? Well, I’ll have you know that back in high school, I once won two free tickets to see the Spin Doctors in Anaheim at the Grove.”
“Always a tipoff that life isn’t going great for you when you start to brag about something from 22 years ago.” — Stephen Colbert
The comparison is absurd by design. That’s the point. A man facing 32% approval and a country at war reaches back to a TV ratings report from the early iPod era — not to defend a policy, not to pivot the conversation, but to remind people he was once very famous. The Spin Doctors tickets write themselves.