Before his usual “Closer Look” segment on Monday, “Late Night” host Seth Meyers gave a joke-free monologue about the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
“We’ve witnessed far too many shocking scenes of political violence, from Charlottesville to Jan. 6, to an attack on the spouse of Nancy Pelosi, to a shooting at a congressional baseball practice, to a kidnapping plot against the governor of Michigan,” Meyers said. “And now an assassination attempt on the life of Donald Trump. An attack that thankfully spared him, but tragically, tragically killed one spectator and injured two others.”
Meyers continued, “Often after a tragedy like this, there are calls to forgo politics, but to me, politics, the non-violent exchange of ideas and the peaceful resolution of disputes, feels more important than ever. An inclusive politics of compassion, empathy, and community, that’s what we must recommit to now.”
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“What we don’t need are the opportunistic purveyors of paranoia, suspicion and fear, who have already rushed to fill the void with incendiary conspiracy theories and lies,” he said.
Meyers showed some news coverage of recent posts from GOP congressmen like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Mike Collins, in which they falsely blamed Biden for the attack and exploited the tragedy for their own political gain.
One of those politicians is Trump’s new running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who posted on Saturday, “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
“At a time when things are bad, you are choosing to make things worse,” Meyers responded. “You are choosing to inflame the national mood at a dangerous moment rather than show the leadership and basic decency it would take to calm things down. You should be ashamed. Please stop.”
“You’re also wrong,” he continued. “Engaging in the work of democracy and peaceful persuasion is the opposite of inciting violence. It’s what we need more of, not less. Accurately describing the dangers of autocracy and warning against attempts to dismantle our democracy have nothing to do with political violence.”
“Speaking plainly about the specter of authoritarianism is not only our democratic right, it’s our civic duty,” Meyers said. “We must all continue to do it. That’s what we’ll continue to do here.”
