Stephen Colbert manages to insult both Trump and Cincinnati's chili at the same time


With President Trump in Cincinnati for a rally on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert declared that "for once, chili on spaghetti was not the most disgusting thing in town."
The Late Show taped before Trump appeared at the rally, but Colbert did have a chance to watch Trump answer questions from reporters as he prepared to leave for Ohio. They centered on his last rally in North Carolina, where audience members started chanting, "Send her back!" about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who came to the U.S. from Somalia as a child. "Fun fact," Colbert said. "She's still here."
A reporter asked Trump if he was prepared to tell Thursday's crowd to stop if they started "chanting something problematic," and Trump gave a non-answer. "I don't know what's going to happen," he said. "I can tell you this, I'm going to Cincinnati. The arena's a very large one, we've sold it out, we could sell it probably 10 times from what I hear." When pressed, Trump added, "If they do chant, we'll have to see what happens. I don't know that you can stop people."
Subscribe to 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.
Putting on his best fake Trump voice, Colbert responded, "What am I gong to do, tell my whole audience to go back where they came from? That's not what America's about, folks." As it turns out, the audience did not chant "Send her back!" CNN reports that Trump did, however, insult California, a state he lost in 2016 by 30 percentage points, calling it a "disgrace to our country," and accused Democrats of caring more about undocumented immigrants than U.S. citizens. "The rage-filled Democrat Party is trying to tear America apart," he said. Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
WHCA rejects White House press seating grab
Speed Read The White House Correspondents' Association objected to the Trump administration's bid to control where journalists sit during press briefings
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published