'Well, f**k': Stephen Colbert reacts to the 2024 election results

"Last time Trump won, it felt like a grotesque fluke. This time America knew exactly what they were getting and they went hard for him anyway."
By Amanda Yeo  on 
Stephen Colbert drinking bourbon on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
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Stephen Colbert has reacted to Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election during the latest episode of The Late Show. Understandably, said reaction involved bourbon, swearing, and a desperate search for positives.

"Let's look at the bright side — this way at least there'll be a peaceful transfer of power," quipped Colbert. "All day yesterday I was walking around proudly wearing my 'I voted' sticker. Today I wore my 'I am questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of humanity' sticker."

Though Colbert's monologue was filled with his characteristic jokes, he did make it clear that he was in no way hoping for this election outcome.

"As a late night host, people often say to me, 'come on, part of you has gotta want Trump to win 'cause he gives you so much material to work with,'" said Colbert. "No. No. No one tells the guy who cleans the bathroom, 'wow, you must love it when someone has explosive diarrhoea. There's so much material for you to work with!'"

Despite this dire analogy, Colbert continued to search for even the most dubious silver linings to this ominous storm cloud. Specifically, he noted a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed which opined that Trump's "authoritarian rule" didn't manifest during his previous term because he was "too undisciplined, and his attention span too short."

"Well there's a cup of sunshine!" said Colbert. "He's too unfocused to be a fascist! They might have promised to put immigrants in camps, but he doesn't have the concentration."

Amanda Yeo
Amanda Yeo
Assistant Editor

Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets.


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