Stephen Colbert breaks out the chalkboard to decipher Donald Trump's dark conspiracy theories

Stephen Colbert pulls a Glenn Beck to try to decipher Trump&#039;s conspiracy theories

(Image credit: Late Show)

published 15 June 2016

The outpouring of love and charity in the wake of Sunday's terrible Orlando nightclub mass murder provides "some hope that in the end, fear and hatred won't win," Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. "But, Donald Trump might." He took a hard look at Trump's Orlando speech on Monday, noting Trump's argument that his lack of political correctness makes him better able to fight terrorism. "Yes, Donald Trump refuses to be politically correct — and just to be safe, he refused to be correct," Colbert said.

"This whole speech — with its nativism, its fearmongering, and especially its self-aggrandizing in the face of tragedy — feels like a new low," Colbert said, before digressing with a short riff on Trump's genitals. "And here's the thing: Trump's speech, unbelievably, was the least controversial part of his reaction to Orlando." Trump's other public response was darkly insinuating that President Obama is a secret Muslim terrorist sympathizer — but he'll only drop hints, saying he'll let the people connect the dots. "You heard him: He's going to let people figure it out," Colbert said. "And since I'm a people, I thought I would take a stab at it." He brought out a chalkboard, Glenn Beck–style, and found some very specific, and quite rude, patterns in Trump's conspiracy theory keywords. It's mostly safe for work. Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.