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Stephen Colbert has delivered a one-off emotional monologue processing his feelings about Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday (November 5) – watch below.
The late show host scrapped his usual introductory monologue in favour of an heartfelt address to the world, in a 16-minute video reckoning with Trump’s declaration of fraud as Joe Biden edged ahead in the US presidential election.
Addressing his decision to wear black, Colbert explained it was due to Trump’s speech. “I’m wearing black tonight because I was getting dressed this afternoon and I thought, ‘He might try some shenanigans and it might be fitting to tell jokes while wearing something sombre if he goes down that dark path’. I’m no prophet, it’s just that he’s so predictable.”
He explained: “Donald Trump tried really hard to kill something tonight. Around 7 o’clock, the president came out into the White House briefing room and lied for 15 minutes, just nonsensical stuff about illegal vote dumps and corrupt election officials and secret democratic counting cabals, and, I don’t know, longform birth certificates probably.
“It’s all the same. If you did not know that Joe Biden was getting close to 270 [electoral points], Donald Trump just provided all the proof you’ll ever need.”
Explaining how many had predicted for weeks that Trump might contest the votes if numbers began to swing in Biden’s favour, Colbert said: “For weeks we’ve been talking about how there would be a red mirage, how all those outstanding Biden mail-in ballots might let Joe catch up, and that Trump would then probably come out and pretend that he won and accuse everybody else of cheating.
“What I didn’t know is that it would hurt so much. I didn’t expect this to break my heart. For him to cast a dark shadow on our most sacred right, from the briefing room in the White House, our house, not his. That is devastating.”
He continued: This is heartbreaking for the same reason that I didn’t want him to get COVID. Certainly why I wanted him to survive. Because he is the president of the United States. That office means something. That office should have some shred of decency.”
Addressing the US population with an urgent demand for action, Stephen Colbert said: “For all the predictable behaviour of the last few days and the last four years, right now something unpredictable needs to happen. Republicans have to speak up. All of them. Because for evil to succeed, all that is necessary is for good men to do nothing.
“You only survived this up til now because a lot of voters didn’t want to believe everything that was obvious to so many of us: that Donald Trump is a fascist. When it comes to democracy versus fascism, I’m sorry, there are not fine people on both sides. So you need to choose, Donald Trump or the American people.”
At the time of writing, Joe Biden is thought to be only six points from victory.
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