Stephen Colbert To Trump: 'Doing Nothing Is Cowardice'

Stephen Colbert began his late-night show Monday with a poignant address from behind his desk. Acknowledging that "jokes aren't appropriate to address the shock and the grief and the anger we all feel" in the wake of Sunday night's mass shooting in Las Vegas, he instead struck a serious tone.

"This afternoon, the president called this 'an act of pure evil,' and I think he's right," Colbert said. "So what then are we willing to do to combat pure evil? The answer can't be nothing. It can't. This time it was a concert in Las Vegas, last time it was Republican congressmen and their staff under fire on a ball field. ...

"The bar is so low right now that Congress can be heroes by doing literally anything. Universal background checks, or come up with a better answer, and force President Obama's executive order that denied mentally ill gun purchases, or a better answer. Reinstate the assault weapons ban, or come up with a better answer. Anything but nothing.

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"Doing nothing is cowardice. Doing something will take courage."

Speaking to President Trump directly, the comedian said Trump "owes Republicans nothing."

"You know the Republicans tried to stop you from being president. Well, screw 'em. You want to make America great again? Do something the last two presidents haven't been able to do. Pass any kind of common sense gun control legislation that the vast majority of Americans want."

Watch the segment below.

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