Stephen Colbert used his opening monologue on The Late Show to sharply condemn Donald Trump’s administration. This follows the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents. Addressing the studio audience, Colbert questioned official explanations of the incident and criticized ICE.
Stephen Colbert calls out Trump’s administration
Stephen Colbert used Monday night’s episode of The Late Show to sharply criticize ICE and Donald Trump’s administration in response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. He was a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was killed in Minneapolis while attempting to film federal agents during ongoing protests.
Opening his monologue, Colbert acknowledged the severe winter weather affecting the United States. He said, “I want to thank everyone here who stood outside in the cold today before you came. I think we can all agree, f**k ICE.” The host’s remarks were quickly met with enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
Colbert challenged official statements from senior administration figures. This includes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who had described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.” He also referenced another recent fatal encounter involving federal agents. The host said, “And again, Trump administration officials immediately blamed the victim, calling him a domestic terrorist, but videos appear to contradict federal accounts of the shooting.”
On his show, Colbert said that video from the scene and reporting by major news organizations contradict the administration’s version of events. He referenced coverage from The New York Times, NBC News, PBS, Reuters, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal as outlets that had questioned the government’s account.
Concluding the segment, Colbert said the videos appeared to show masked agents disarming a civilian before he was shot. He said, “Masked government agents disarmed an American citizen and then executed him in the streets. That’s what it looks like.”
