Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Stephen Colbert kicked off Monday’s live edition of “The Late Show” with a pre-taped segment (shot around 7 p.m. ET) discussing the attempted assassination of Donald Trump over the weekend, before going live with his previously scheduled monologue, commenting on the first night of the Republican National Convention.
“The United States came close to a great tragedy last Saturday, when at a political rally in Pennsylvania a 20-year-old gunman shot and nearly killed a former president and the man who has now become the 2024 Republican nominee. My immediate reaction when I saw this on Saturday was horror at what was happening, relief that Donald Trump survived, and frankly, heartbreak for my great country.”
Colbert noted that the attempt led to the death of a rally attendee — and he noted that, much like after other shootings in the United States, he decided to begin the show with a dark opening behind the desk.
“I might as well start the show by moaning on the floor, because how many times do we have to learn the lesson that violence has no place in our politics?” he said. “The purpose of a democracy is to settle our differences by voting, not by shooting, as the saying goes.”
Colbert noted this after a young friend of his expressed disbelief that an assassination attempt could happen in the United States, but noted that “I’m old enough that one of my earliest memories is sitting in a dark room with my sister, watching my parents’ little black-and-white television, and seeing Bobby Kennedy’s casket on that slow train from New York to Washington.”
He stressed that “whether it is the result of extremist politics or mental illness,” violence is unacceptable regardless of political stripe — “from the shooting at a GOP baseball game practice that seriously injured Steve Scalise to the plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the hammer attack that nearly killed Paul Pelosi to the horrors of January 6th and this most recent attack.
“The man who fired the shots appeared to have conflicted or confused motivations, at least by the standards of today’s sharp left-right divide,” he noted, noting that the shooter was “someone barely out of childhood,” who reportedly donated to a Democratic group in 2021 and then registered as a Republican that same year.
“We may never understand his motivations. And that’s not necessarily our role,” he said. “Our role as American citizens is to reject violence and violent rhetoric in this time of crisis, even as we want to fight for our ideas. And in that regard, violence is not only wrong, it’s unnecessary.”
As Colbert added, “In the wake of this attack on Saturday, many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum — from President Biden to Speaker of the House Johnson — are calling on all of us to change the way we see each other, treat each other, and talk to each other. And that may or may not happen. These conflicting ideas will remain the same. So this week, we’re going to do our best to talk about these ideas, the people who represent them, and a lot more with guests, and who knows, if we’re lucky, maybe a few fart jokes.”
After the opening, Colbert returned with a full-on monologue, taking advantage of the episode’s direct nature to comment on the speeches, gaffes and awkward moments throughout the first night of the Republican National Convention.
Because it was a live show and there was a lot to discuss, Colbert continued after his first break with more monologue in the second act as well — starting with the announcement that “Pillsbury douche boy” J.D. Vance had been chosen as the vice presidential nominee.
Colbert also referenced the “perfumed bullshit” that came out of biased Florida federal judge Aileen Cannon when she dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.
On Monday night, the late-night talk show hosts had their first chance to comment on the weekend’s events. On “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” the host condemned the “horrific” assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday and said that “political violence must be condemned in all its forms.” The “Late Night” host also took a moment to condemn the way some right-wing political voices have responded to the attack.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs live this week from his studio at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City from Monday, July 15, through Thursday, July 18. Guests on Monday’s show included former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and a performance by Bikini Kill.
Tuesday’s “The Late Show” will feature Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and singer Loudon Wainwright III, while Wednesday’s episode will feature actor Glen Powell and radio personality/host Charlamagne Tha God. The week will wrap up Thursday with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and a performance by OneRepublic.
Next month, Colbert will broadcast from Chicago’s Auditorium Theater during the week of the Democratic National Convention, which runs in Chicago from Monday, August 19 through Thursday, August 22.
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News Source : variety.com
