Ted Cruz's confusing Reagan-aping scorpion ad prompts Stephen Colbert to make his own

Stephen Colbert is confused about a Ted Cruz ad

(Image credit: Late Show)

Stephen Colbert's Late Show taped well before Wednesday night's Republican debate (and in some time zones, competed with it when it aired), so Colbert was careful to note that he hadn't seen the GOP slugfest yet. But since the debate was being held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, he looked at how various candidates are trying to don the mantle of the Republican icon.

Jeb Bush is wearing a vintage Reagan-Bush '84 T-shirt, just like the hipsters, and Donald Trump has ripped off one of Reagan's mottoes. Carly Fiorina, he joked, has taken on the Gipper's hairstyle. But Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) went so far as to recreate one of Reagan's ads from 1984, replacing the Soviet bear with a scorpion. Colbert raised some good questions about what the ad means — like: "What does the scorpion represent? Is it terrorism? Iran? Mexicans? Scorpions? A bear in a scorpion costume?" — but it inspired him to make his own Reagan knockoff ad. And unlike Reagan's original, this one might just freak you out. Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.