President Donald Trump did what Trump does best on Thursday — he took a victory lap over a fallen enemy. As Stephen Colbert taped his final episode of The Late Show on CBS, the President of the United States took to Truth Social to deliver the eulogy nobody asked for but everybody needed: the man is a "jerk," and he's "finally gone."
Imagine spending a decade of your professional life trying to destroy one man, only to watch him become president — twice — while you get cancelled. That's not a career arc. That's a Greek tragedy with better ratings.
Colbert's Late Show had been hemorrhaging viewers for years. The formula was simple and, eventually, stale: Trump bad, audience claps, repeat five nights a week for the better part of a decade. Somewhere along the way, America stopped laughing. The ratings told the story long before CBS pulled the plug. What was once the crown jewel of late-night television became a nightly therapy session for coastal liberals who needed a man in a suit to validate their anxiety.
And through it all, Trump kept winning. He survived two impeachments, a raid on Mar-a-Lago, 91 felony charges, and approximately 2,000 Colbert monologues comparing him to various dictators and cartoon villains. Trump is still in the Oval Office. Colbert is updating his LinkedIn.
The NY Post reported Trump's comments on the final taping, with the president clearly relishing the moment. "Finally gone!" isn't exactly a Hallmark card, but it's honest. When a man spends every night for years calling you a fascist, a traitor, and worse, you've earned the right to wave goodbye with a smile.
Here's what the left will never understand about this moment: Colbert didn't fail because he was political. He failed because he was boring. Johnny Carson was political. Letterman was political. But they were also funny. Colbert replaced comedy with activism and wondered why half the country changed the channel. You can't build a comedy show on pure contempt for 74 million Americans and expect those Americans to tune in.
The final episode reportedly featured the usual parade of celebrity friends, tearful monologues about "democracy," and zero self-awareness about why the show was ending in the first place. Classic.
Trump outlasted them all. He outlasted CNN's prime-time lineup. He outlasted Morning Joe. He outlasted The Lincoln Project's relevance. And now he's outlasted Stephen Colbert. The man they all said would destroy America is still standing while they clean out their desks one by one.
So goodbye, Stephen. You gave it your best shot — every single night for years — and the guy you tried to destroy is literally the most powerful man on earth while you're looking for a podcast deal. That's not a punchline. That's the whole joke.