Stephen Colbert can’t believe the U.S. has no coronavirus plan

Stephen Colbert questioned why the U.S. can’t figure out a coronavirus plan

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert returned Monday after a two-week hiatus. Stephen Colbert held out hope that he would come back and cover a unified plan for the U.S. to curb novel coronavirus infections. Instead, he found the same old story plaguing the country.

The U.S. continues to see COVID-19 cases spiking in several states while others have had to roll back efforts to reopen. Medical experts appear to remain at odds with leaders eager to get the economy back on track. And lawmakers have struggled to agree on a relief bill for the millions of unemployed Americans.

Meanwhile, countries that were once major hotspots for COVID-19 have recovered almost completely. New Zealand has stood out as a model after recently reporting no transmissions of COVID-19 in the past 100 days.

Some of those countries are now looking at the U.S. with pity and despair. In his monologue, Stephen Colbert explained why the U.S. deserves criticism and why the country just can’t seem to agree on a path forward.

Stephen Colbert has no problem blaming President Donald Trump

European nations see the U.S. as “fragile” with poor infrastructure and a nonexistent healthcare system. Stephen Colbert makes no attempt to argue with these points. After all, it didn’t take him until Aug. to call out the country’s failures. And 250,00 people gathering at a motorcycle rally doesn’t help change the negative perception of America’s response to the pandemic.

Those failures start at the top with President Donald Trump according to Colbert. His monologue on Monday highlighted how the president has no real plan of action and has yet to demonstrate a thoughtful response to help Americans.

Colbert mocks the president for suggesting executive orders that may be unconstitutional, condemns him for offering financial relief only if he is reelected, and exposes how his ideas could have catastrophic effects on programs like Social Security.

Colbert has tried to prepare for these failures and international embarrassment. Earlier this summer, he called on Americans to demonstrate the moral leadership he says will never come from the White House. It launched The Late Show‘s “Be Your Own President” initiative in the hope that the Americans could guide themselves through the crisis.

It is going to take more than a late-night television host to fix the country’s reputation. But the more important task at hand is controlling the pandemic. Stephen Colbert just isn’t holding his breath over it happening anytime soon.

What did you think of Stephen Colbert’s monologue? Share your thoughts in the comment section. Keep checking Last Night On for more highlights from The Late Show and the rest of late-night television.