Stephen Colbert has taken aim at Donald Trump's visit to China with Elon Musk and other CEOs, joking that 'no matter how rich or powerful you may be, there's a chance you might get stuck on a plane with Elon Musk'. On his Late Show, Colbert mocked Trump's claim that these 'brilliant people' could 'work their magic' in China, quipping: 'They've already made their taxes disappear.'
The host also focused on the Iran war, which he said was hanging over what he called Trump's 'fabulous billionaire boys trip'. Colbert noted that one expert has estimated the conflict will cost US taxpayers $1tn, and questioned what America is getting for that. He pointed to intelligence reports showing Iran has retained about 70% of its pre-conflict missile stockpile and restored access to most missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz.
Colbert suggested that the Pentagon's reported consideration of renaming the war 'Operation Sledgehammer' was a ploy to circumvent the 1973 War Powers Resolution, allowing Trump to 'restart the clock' on congressional authorisation. He deadpanned that the next operation could be called 'Operation And Just Like That', referencing the Sex and the City reboot.
Turning to the economy, Colbert said financial experts call the current situation 'the poop chute', with over two-thirds of Americans saying the country feels out of control and 70% disapproving of Trump's handling of the economy. He closed with jokes about manosphere trends like 'ballmaxxing', where men inject saline into their testicles, comparing the result to 'dropping a baby carrot on to a bean bag chair'.
On Late Night, Seth Meyers also weighed in, joking that Trump's tour of China's Temple of Heaven was a trip he had 'taken a couple of times before, but both times doctors were able to revive him'. Meyers mocked reports that Iran is stronger than Trump claims, saying: 'Oh, I can explain: he lies.' He also joked about Trump's plans to repaint the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, saying it was behind schedule because 'he hired the same people who do his face'.
Meyers discussed the resignation of FDA commissioner Marty Makary, who opposed authorising fruit-flavoured vapes, quipping that 'a guy named Dr Marty' sounded like a brand of flavoured vapes. He also noted that 80% of Americans believe AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates, adding: 'And keep in mind, that's coming from people that are so old that they answer polls.' Finally, he joked about the most popular baby names of 2025, saying the most popular last name was Cannon, with a picture of Nick Cannon, who has 12 children.
