In a dramatic Christmas Eve outburst, former President Donald Trump unleashed a torrent of abuse against late-night television hosts, singling out Stephen Colbert as a "pathetic trainwreck" in a series of posts on his Truth Social platform.
A Festive Tirade on Truth Social
The social media rant, which occurred on the evening of Wednesday 24 December 2025, marked a stark shift in tone from Trump's earlier posts that day, which had focused on political matters. Notably, his earlier commentary had conspicuously avoided any mention of the significant cache of Jeffrey Epstein files recently released by the Department of Justice.
Turning his fire on the entertainment world, Trump launched a scorching attack on Stephen Colbert, the host of CBS's The Late Show, which is scheduled to conclude next year. "Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success," the former president fumed.
He continued his assault, claiming, "Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings. Stephen is running on hatred and fumes – A dead man walking! CBS should, 'put him to sleep,' NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!"
Broadside Against Broadcast Networks
Not content with targeting Colbert alone, Trump broadened his critique to include the major networks and their flagship late-night programmes. In a follow-up post, he posed a question to his followers: "Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!"
In a third post, still simmering with anger, Trump complained about the consistently negative coverage he and his administration receive. He then issued a stark threat against the broadcast licences of the networks responsible. "If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!" he wrote.
An Abrupt Shift to Seasonal Greetings
Having vented his fury, the former president then performed an abrupt rhetorical U-turn. His final post of the festive spree was bellowed entirely in capital letters: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"
The specific catalyst for this particular outburst against Colbert was not immediately clear, as the most recent episode of The Late Show aired on 18 December. However, Trump has a long-standing history of complaining about jokes made at his expense by late-night hosts during their opening monologues. Figures like Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers have frequently been the subject of his ire.
Jimmy Kimmel remains a particular hate figure for Trump. The former president previously celebrated Kimmel's brief suspension in September following remarks the host made about the politicisation of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Since returning to air, Kimmel has continued his satirical coverage of Trump, most recently mocking the former president's televised address about his economic record.
Invoking Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous fireside chats, Kimmel quipped that Trump had delivered "an impromptu 'liar-side' chat tonight in the middle of the season finales of Survivor and The Floor." He added, "It’s weird to think that, had a couple of states just gone the other way, he’d be hosting one of those shows. Trump shouldn’t be pre-empting The Floor, he should be mopping it, OK?"
This Christmas Eve episode underscores the ongoing and deeply personal conflict between the former president and the media landscape, a feud that shows no sign of abating, even during the holiday season.
