Stephen Colbert one-ups Donald Trump's conspiracy theory about Cruz and JFK's killer
Tuesday's Late Show taped before Stephen Colbert learned that Donald Trump won the Indiana Republican primary and Ted Cruz dropped out of the race. "But I do know that it was do-or-die for Sen. Ted Cruz — and judging by this picture, I'm going to say he died about a week ago," he said. Instead of talking about future events, Colbert looked at what ended up being Cruz's last stand, including his getting stomped by quick-witted Trump supporters in Indiana and Trump's own conspiracy theory, unveiled Tuesday morning, that Cruz's father met with Lee Harvey Oswald soon before Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy, based on a report in the National Enquirer.
"This is horrible — and not just for Cruz," Colbert said. "Oliver Stone is kicking himself for not thinking of this." But instead of just laughing at Trump, he had a better conspiracy theory that blows Trump's Cruz-JFK aspersions out of the water — and if you watch until the end, he gets an assist from Cruz himself, and Back to the Future. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
Which side is JD Vance taking in MAGA’s infighting?Today’s Big Question GOP insiders are battling over antisemitism with an eye on 2028
-
Campus security is in the public eye again after the Brown shootingTalking Points Questions surround a federal law called the Clery Act
-
9 new cookbooks begging to be put to good winter usethe week recommends Booze-free drinks, the magic versatility of breadcrumbs and Japanese one-pot cooking
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
