Stephen Colbert spurs debate as he expresses 'grief for my beautiful country’ after Trump rally shooting

Trigger Warning: This article contains some graphic information and content that may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: Stephen Colbert kicked off Monday’s live edition of 'The Late Show' with a pre-taped segment addressing the weekend's shocking assassination attempt on Donald Trump, before transitioning to his live monologue.

“The United States came close to a great tragedy on Saturday, when at a political rally down in Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old gunman shot and nearly killed a former president and the man who today became the 2024 Republican nominee," Colbert began. "My immediate reaction when I saw this on Saturday were horror at what was unfolding, relief that Donald Trump had lived, and frankly, grief for my beautiful country."

The somber opener reflected on the tragic death of a rally attendee Corey Comperatore and the serious injuries suffered by two others. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was promptly taken down by the Secret Service sniper. The FBI is currently investigating the horrific incident.

Stephen Colbert calls for rejection of political violence

Stephen Colbert stressed the importance of rejecting violence in politics, saying, “The entire objective of a democracy is to fight out our differences with, as the saying goes, ballot, not bullet.” The host shared a personal anecdote about watching Bobby Kennedy’s funeral as a child, underscoring the longstanding issue of political violence in the US.

He condemned that “whether the result of extremist politics or mental illness,” violence is wrong on all sides of the political spectrum, “from the shooting at a GOP baseball practice that seriously injured Steve Scalise to the plot to kidnap and kill Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the hammer attack that nearly killed Paul Pelosi to the horrors of January 6 to this most recent attack."

“The man who fired the shots seemed to have conflicted or confusing motivations, at least by the standards of today’s stark left and right divide,” he said, noting that the shooter was “someone barely out of boyhood.” The shooter had reportedly donated to a Democratic group in 2021 before registering as a Republican later that same year.

Stephen Colbert urges national reflection following Donald Trump's assassination attempt

“So we may never understand his motivation. Nor is that necessarily our job,” he claimed. “Our job as American citizens is to reject violence and violent rhetoric in this time of crisis, however hard we want to fight for our ideas. And in that regard, not only is violence evil, it is useless.”

“In the wake of this attack on Saturday, many Americans on both sides of the aisle — from President Biden to Speaker Johnson — are calling on all of us to change how we see each other, how we treat each other, how we talk to each other. And that may or may not happen. Those conflicting ideas will remain the same. So this week, we’re going to do our best to talk about those ideas, the people who represent those ideas, and many other things with guests, and who knows, if we’re lucky, maybe some fart jokes.”

Returning to his live monologue, Colbert commented on the first night of the Republican National Convention, noting speeches, gaffes, and awkward moments. He humorously criticized the selection of JD Vance as Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate and the dismissal of the classified documents case against Trump by Judge Aileen Cannon.

'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is airing live this week from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.

Netizens react to Stephen Colbert's show after Donald Trump rally shooting

A social media user tweeted, "Most of Americans feel this way..."

Another said, "Wait til he sees King Donald’s coronation and he gets thrown in prison. America is totally broken."

"I suppose you want us to...meet you in the middle? LOL," someone else tweeted.

"He has contributed so much to the assassination attempt. @StephenAtHome," read a tweet.

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