Stephen Colbert refuses to show Trump’s CPAC speech

It was a big weekend for the conservative movement as the annual Conservative Political Action Conference was held in Orlando, Florida. It also meant a big Monday for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as the late night show had plenty to say about the event–just not about its keynote speaker.

CPAC gave a platform to conservatives including Senator Ted Cruz, Representative Matt Gaetz, and former President Donald Trump. Late Show fans are all too familiar with these names as they frequently dominated Stephen Colbert’s monologues over the past five years.

With the shadow of the Jan. 6 Capitol assault still looming over the conservative movement and the Republican Party, Colbert was interested to see what the message from CPAC would be. The comedian had low expectations for the event he described as featuring “a murder’s row of people who were ok with Mike Pence being murdered.”

Fans were undoubtedly eager to hear what Colbert would say about former President Donald Trump’s first major speech since leaving office. But in the end, Colbert refused to show any clips or give Trump any more of his attention.

Stephen Colbert declines to show any clips from Donald Trump’s CPAC speech

Stephen Colbert’s monologue did acknowledge that former President Donald Trump’s CPAC speech was the headliner. It was another chance for the Republican Party to worship their golden idol, the comedian joked.

Colbert announced that he wasn’t going to play any clips from Trump’s CPAC speech, saying it was full of dangerous and stupid lies. The Late Show host even admitted that he didn’t care anymore and was eager to see the country move on from Trump.

Even Cartoon Donald Trump couldn’t convince Colbert to make jokes about the former president. According to Colbert, now that Trump is out of power, it’s pointless to continue making jokes about him. It was the latest step in Colbert erasing Trump from the Late Show following his decision to censor the former president’s name.

We’ll see how long this move by The Late Show lasts. Donald Trump is only likely to make more speeches, hold more rallies, and go on more campaign trails. So many fans will turn to Colbert for a response and for levity. It won’t be easy to pretend Trump doesn’t exist especially when he continues to have a tight grip on the Republican Party.

Stephen Colbert trolls Ted Cruz for the Senator’s CPAC speech

When even the shape of the stage is open for ridicule, you knew that Stephen Colbert could have a field day with CPAC. The speakers didn’t do themselves any favors either, mixing awkward moments with outright lies according to Colbert.

So while Colbert had no interest in talking about Donald Trump, there was one CPAC speaker the comedian did want to discuss. Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz continues to be late night TV’s new favorite punching bag. His decision to follow up challenging the election results with flying to Mexico during a statewide emergency in Texas has made him an easy target for Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and others.

At CPAC, his comparisons to Star Wars mixed with references to Star Trek, Ghostbusters, and Braveheart fell flat. Colbert reminds Cruz that invoking Mel Gibson is never a good idea, especially on that particular CPAC stage.

What do you think of Stephen Colbert’s decision not to show footage from Donald Trump’s CPAC speech? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.