Stephen Colbert ties Trump’s rhetoric to the rise in hate crimes
By Matt Moore
The nation’s attention has been brought to the increased number of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. According to Stephen Colbert, much of the blame can be traced back to former President Donald Trump and his rhetoric while in office.
Eight people died in a series of shootings outside Atlanta, Georgia on March 16. Six of the victims were Asian women, suggesting that the attack was racially motivated. It coincides with a rise in violence and racism targeting the AAPI community over the past year.
Stephen Colbert addressed the massacre earlier in the week, encouraging people to look towards our common humanity rather than what divides us. Late night hosts trying to put a national tragedy into context has become far too common but Colbert typically rises to the occasion as he did this week.
The Late Show host returned to the topic on Thursday night. Colbert did not mince words when connecting the violence against the AAPI community to the rhetoric used by former President Donald Trump regarding the novel coronavirus.
Stephen Colbert condemns Donald Trump’s use of hate and its consequences
Stephen Colbert starts the segment with a montage of former President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 the “China virus.” The term was heavily criticized but Colbert knows all too well that criticism and public condemnation doesn’t stop Donald Trump.
Colbert describes the former president as “using hate to cover up his own failures.” The Late Show has made the case that Donald Trump abandoned his duties as president during the pandemic and was eager to find a scapegoat.
The entirety of the blame isn’t on former President Trump, says Colbert. The late night host acknowledges that everyone has a role to play in stopping hate, protecting one another, and treating everyone with respect. But Colbert strongly states that hate will be part of Donald Trump’s legacy:
"This will always be part of his legacy. He will be remembered as a hateful man who left a stain…on our whole society by inviting his MAGA minions to an all-you-can-hate racist buffet."
Related Story. Colbert says the Trump administration was worse than imagined. light
What did you think of Stephen Colbert’s monologue? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.