Amid continued threats to send troops into Chicago this week, President Trump called the city a “hell hole,” which Stephen Colbert immediately pushed back against. According to the CBS host, Chicago definitely isn’t a hell hole — at least, not until February.
During his monologue on Wednesday night, Colbert reminded viewers that, though he wasn’t technically born in Chicago, he became a Chicagoan early on in life. He attended Northwestern University, worked at Second City and lived in the city for 11 years. So, when Trump declared the city a “hell hole,” Colbert took it personally.
“How dare you, sir! Chicago is not a hell hole right now. Chicago is not a hell hole until February,” he retorted. “Then it is a sub-zero, windswept vista of frozen Lake Michigan, trudging out of your very affordable apartment to meet your improv friends at Twin Anchors for craft beer and a double cheeseburger.”
Of course, Trump didn’t stop at just one insult. The president also posted that “Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the world, by far.” So, Colbert had two words of his own to push back against “worst” and “dangerous.”
“F–k you,” he shot back. “You know what? Two other words: Daytona Beach!”
Trump also dubbed Chicago the murder capital of the world, despite the fact that the city has seen a decrease in murders this year. Colbert pushed back against that inaccurate claim as well, citing multiple cities with higher murder rates. The late night host also noted that he even took “The Late Show” to Chicago last year during the DNC.
“Had an amazing time,” he said. “But come to think of it, you know what? A lot of us did come home murdered.”
In the end, Colbert offered an act of pride and solidarity with Chicago — taking a shot of Malort live on-camera.
You can watch Stephen Colbert’s full CBS monologue in the video above.
