On Thursday night, Stephen Colbert’s Late Show went live after the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention. And, reacting to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s convention-closing speech, where he made an impassioned plea for “a united America,” Colbert nearly jumped out of his chair with excitement.
Then, the comedian got serious—and issued his own address of sorts to his viewers.
“Well, here’s the deal,” the comic said. “Biden spoke for over 10 minutes and addressed all the pain that Trump has inflicted upon our country; all the possibilities for healing our nation. But most importantly, not once did he whine about shower pressure. Throughout the convention, it was a common theme: Joe Biden’s history of loss and suffering. Surprisingly, we didn’t get a lot of jokes out of it, but there was a reason the convention hammered this point home: to cast Joe Biden in stark contrast with Donald Trump. Donald Trump couldn’t overcome any of the challenges of his presidency because he’s never had to overcome anything at all.”
ADVERTISEMENT
During Biden’s speech, the former senator and vice president spoke about the ongoing pandemic that’s claimed over 170,000 American lives, and the incredible sense of loss so many are facing right now. Biden expressed how he can relate to that sense of loss, having suffered through the death of his first wife, Neilia, and 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, when a truck struck their vehicle on a Christmas-holiday night in 1972, as well as losing his eldest son, Beau, a decorated Army veteran and politician, to brain cancer.
“This evening, Joe Biden showed himself to be a man who is decent, compassionate, flawed but honest—and that is water in the desert,” said Colbert. “He’s the sort of person who thinks before he says things, and when he gaffes, which is often, it’s because his heart gets ahead of his words. He cares. And he tries his hardest. He’s like a lot of people I know, and you do too. Which shouldn’t seem remarkable but right now it is. And when Trump tweets his all-caps rebuke tomorrow morning, he’s just going to show how our president is not presidential. But Joe Biden is.”
