Once again, all eyes have turned to former President Donald Trump. This go round, he’s under a microscope, with gilt-edged approval ratings racing towards the bottom and a recent, utterly cryptic rooftop appearance at the White House. Taken together, his actions appear to be an attempt to avoid answering the most urgent and important questions. Late-night television hosts have beat him up, and wonkish political analysts are wagging their eyebrows disapprovingly.
At the same time, Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low, a deeply ominous indicator for any incumbent or out-party political challenger. Against this daunting backdrop, he took a courageous step by climbing atop the White House roof. Many observers pointed out that this strange action appeared aimed at dodging questions from the media about his recent scandals.
At this very event on this rooftop, that’s where Trump started his full-on rage meltdown about the California wildfires and the Pacific Ocean. He even wrongly suggested that a water pipeline from the Pacific Northwest ran into California. This mistake resulted in a firestorm of criticism. As part of his tirade, he mentioned a small fish known as the “smelt,” which has become emblematic of environmental issues in California.
Specifically, in his comments, Trump was pointing the finger at California Governor Gavin Newsom, solidifying his deepening criticisms of state leadership. His statements, described by some as “weird and dumb,” appear to distract from more pressing matters, including ongoing scrutiny surrounding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The scandal continues to loom over Trump like a spectre. Recently, his appointees—including Ohio senator JD Vance—met to discuss how to spin this association to downplay the damage it has caused.
In a sharp counterpoint to the hurdles he continues to face, Trump this week was all smiles at an event welcoming the 2028 California Olympics. It’s what he said and did this morning that will define his legacy—even if it was just his appearance. The odd locale distracted most, if not all, observers from the obvious stones being thrown. All of the late-night hosts—from Seth Meyers to Stephen Colbert—fearlessly called out Trump’s conduct.
Meyers was left scratching his head as to the reasoning behind for Trump’s appearance on a rooftop, guessing that plan behind the move was to dodge tough questions. He said, “Alright, what, and I say this as tiredly as humanly possible, the fuck. He predicted that Trump would have a tough time grasping some basic ideas. He doesn’t understand gravity or, like, maps,” he claimed.
Even Stephen Colbert got in on the mockery, comparing Trump’s latest circus to a strange prison break from responsibility. As he jokingly exclaimed, “It’s up here above the roof, dude! This debate is up on the roof level!” He pointed out that had former President Obama done the same, conservative media such as Fox News would be all over it. His important remark highlights the glaring double standard in media coverage.
The mockery did not stop there. In a segment that made headlines last week, Colbert parodied Trump’s claims about why he knew Epstein using new context provided by Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction. In truth, he only seemed to bristle when asked about Trump doing the dirty work for Epstein. He continued, “What was Donald Trump doing with Jeffrey Epstein? Nothing that should worry you.”
Not as much as the wisdom of Trump’s actions, which are still being felt as public criticism grows and his approval ratings drop to historic lows. According to analysts, his news-grabbing penchant for wild statements just pours gasoline on the dumpster fire that is his public persona. His viral rooftop debut raises the questions. Can he actually reach across the aisle to tackle the urgent challenges facing him and the country?