Hardware FixRecommendedDevice not working? Your driver may be the problemCheck updates for common hardware issues.Fix DriversOctober DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsWindows FixRecommendedWindows errors stealing your time? Find the fix fastScan stability, cleanup and performance issues.Fix Now×
Skip to content
The Finance Base
The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

Stephen Colbert Roasts Trump as the Stock Market Plunges in 2018

Colbert’s February 2018 joke contrasted Trump’s upbeat economic speech with a steep Dow decline. The market timing made the punchline, not proof of causation.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Stephen Colbert’s widely shared Trump-and-stock-market joke came during a February 5, 2018 episode of The Late Show, as the Dow fell sharply while President Donald Trump spoke about the economy in Cincinnati. Colbert juxtaposed Trump’s upbeat message with the market’s decline; the available reporting does not show that Trump caused it.

Which Colbert segment does the headline refer to?

It is the February 5, 2018 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The show’s official YouTube clip was posted the next day under the title Trump Touted The Economy As The Stock Market Plunged. Its description said networks switched from Trump’s Cincinnati speech about tax cuts and the economy to coverage of the falling U.S. stock market. The Guardian’s February 6 roundup also covered Colbert’s response to the juxtaposition.

This identification matters because Colbert discussed Trump and market concerns again in a separate March 2025 segment, this time amid debate over tariffs and economic policy. That later segment is not the 2018 clip.

What did Colbert say?

The Guardian reproduced Colbert’s opening line: “Remember when Donald Trump told us we’d be tired of winning? Well, evidently, the stock market is exhausted.” The punchline turned Trump’s campaign-style promise of winning into a joke about the day’s market decline.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Colbert then joked about the Dow’s losses: “Because after losing 666 points on Friday, Monday said, ‘Hold my beer.’ Today posted the greatest single same-day drop in stock-market history: 1,600 points.” The Guardian reported that the Dow closed down almost 1,200 points. These quotations and figures come from the Guardian’s February 6, 2018 account, not an independently checked episode transcript or exchange record.

How large was the market drop?

According to the Guardian’s contemporaneous account, the Dow fell 1,600 points intraday on February 5 and finished the session down almost 1,200 points. The paper described the intraday move as the largest single-day point drop at that time. Those are point movements, not percentage losses; a point figure alone does not tell you the percentage change without the index level used as a comparison.

Rank #2
Late Show with Stephen Colbert Officially Licensed Ceramic Mug, White, 11oz
  • OFFICIAL CBS LATE SHOW MERCH – Start your morning with the iconic Late Show with Stephen Colbert logo featured on a ceramic coffee mug perfect for fans of late-night comedy.
  • GREAT GIFT FOR COLBERT FANS – A fun and practical gift for comedy lovers, TV fans, coworkers, birthdays, holidays, Father’s Day, or white elephant exchanges.
  • Dishwasher and microwave-safe for everyday convenience and easy cleanup
  • Features glossy finish with accent colors on interior, handle, and rim of two-tone designs
  • Perfect for morning coffee, tea, or hot cocoa at home or the office

The Guardian reported that the closing decline erased the Dow’s gains for the year. The figures here are attributed to that 2018 report; no exchange or regulator source is cited for them.

Did Trump cause the stock-market decline?

The timing made the contrast an effective late-night joke, but it does not establish causation. The Guardian said speculation at the time centered on fears that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates. Trump was speaking about the economy as the market fell, but the contemporaneous report did not attribute the drop to his speech or establish that his policies caused it.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

That distinction is useful beyond this clip: a market move occurring during a political speech is not, by itself, evidence that the speech triggered the move. Colbert’s segment was satire about the contrast, not a market-causation analysis.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Sources and quotation context

The clip listing is from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, published February 6, 2018. The quotations, market figures, and interest-rate context are from the Guardian’s February 6, 2018 late-night roundup. The Guardian’s March 11, 2025 roundup describes the separate, later Colbert segment.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More post from the Money Desk

  1. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 267 minMortgage Escrow FAQs: Taxes, Insurance, Shortages, and Refunds
  2. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 265 minHow Mortgage Escrow Accounts Work and What Homeowners Pay For
  3. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 265 minHow to Read a Stock Chart, Volume and Market-Cap Data
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They SpreadFree repair scan
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You DownFree scan - exact matches

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.