Stephen Colbert ridicules Trump's advice that Americans should 'give up pencils' to save money

"How much does he think pencils cost?"
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
Stephen Colbert presents "The Late Show."
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Americans are deeply concerned with the current state of the U.S. economy. According to a recent Fox News poll, 76 percent of voters view the economy negatively, with voters blaming President Donald Trump; the New York Times reports 38 percent of voters approve of how Trump is handling the economy while 61 percent disapprove.

So if you've been struggling, frustrated, and worried about rising prices of late, the president has some "sound advice," as Stephen Colbert pointed out during his Late Show monologue on Wednesday night. During a Pennsylvania rally on Wednesday, Trump told Americans they should "give up certain products."

"You can give up pencils," the president said. "That's under the China policy, you know, every child can get 37 pencils, they only need one or two, you know, they don't need that many."

"How much does he think pencils cost?" asked Colbert on The Late Show. "Our fact-checkers checked, a pack of pencils is $4.36 on Amazon. So saving money on pencils may not be the stupidest thing he's ever said, but I'm gonna say it's number two."

Speaking of things the president has said...

A photo portrait of a journalist with blonde hair and a band t-shirt.
Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.


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